SAK: Sword Arts Kingdom
by Jacob Pendra-Huth
Summary: When Kirito and Asuna take on a mysterious quest to fight a new monster, they took in more that they bargained for. They ended up not only going to a different dimension, but also aiding a trio of good friends on their quest. Join this exciting adventure full of humor, romance and action. This is based on the anime SAO and Kingdom Hearts II.
1. Character Description

**Recently, I have gotten a review explaining how poor the introduction of my characters were in the story. I am mainly focusing this from the SAO characters point of view, so I didn't give them as much of a description compared to the Kingdom Hearts characters later on in this episode. But I will create a character description of each side. You can still look them up online for further details.**

**For those who don't know Sword Art Online, here is a well descriptive analysis on the main characters.**

Kirito: The main protagonist of the 'Sword Art Online' series. In the real world, his actual name is Kirigaya Kazuto, but Kirito is his in-game name. In this series, he is 17 years old. He lives with his aunt, uncle and cousin, Suguha. He has slightly long, but neat black hair and black eyes, over 5' 6", and he looks older than he appears.

In SAO, his attire is composed of black clothing, including black pants, shirt, boots and fingerless gloves. He also wears the Blackwyrm Coat, a black trench coat, over his attire. He has straps over his shoulders and under them so he can hold the scabbards on his back, where he holds his two swords. His main sword is the Elucidator, a black sword that is incredibly durable and powerful. His second sword is the Dark Repulser, a green-tinted sword that was hand crafted for him in the game. His style of combat is either one-handed sword or two sword style, an ability he can use thanks to his Dual Wield ability in the game, and it comes with a variety of special moves in both styles. In the game, he is lv. 96, and is one of most powerful fighters in the game.

Personality-wise, he is direct, but not very good with words. Due to how he spends most of his time on his computer, he isn't as good around people, so he will go solo quite a lot. However, he is really kind and he cares a lot for others, and is willing to protect them no matter what, especially those closest to him. He is calm, collective, and he rarely shows signs of distress when in combat, though he really gets aggravated in tough battles, even more so to the point where he will go out of control, and will sometimes forget what he has done. Outside of the battlefield, he is more laid back, and is more care-free. His will and determination are basically like most other heroes; incredibly strong and unbreakable.

Asuna: During the SAO arc, Asuna was the main female protagonist, and is Kirito's girlfriend and in-game wife. In real life, her full name is Yuuki Asuna. In this series, she is 18 years old. She has a mother, father, and brother. She has long, brownish-orange hair and hazel eyes. She is slightly shorter than Kirito, a little over 5' 5".

Her SAO attire is color coordinated of white and red. Her garments are a sleeveless uniform with a white cape, a red skirt, detached sleeves with fingerless gloves, white boots with long stockings. She carries her scabbard across her waist. Her weapon is a rapier called Lambent Light. Her style of combat is swift and accurate, thus she wears light armor. She likes fighting in the front lines, but she is a great healer in combat, and has several Rapier Skills under her belt. Outside of combat, she is a master of cooking. She is lv. 94.

Personality-wise, she is kind and helpful, and she doesn't abandon others in trouble. She is proud, and not afraid to get physical when others challenge her authority or only see her as a pretty face. Like Kirito, she can be controlled by her emotions, and will go by instincts. She can't take it when she sees people die, and tends to get a bit emotional. She understands Kirito's personality, though she gets ticked off when he teases others or goes solo. She cares deeply for Kirito, so she always helps him out when needed.

Yui: An AI that took on a personality, and became the in-game daughter to Kirito and Asuna. In this series, Yui takes the appearance of her ALO form, in which she is a Navigation Pixie. She has long black hair and bright black eyes. In her ALO form, she wears a long light pink dress with detached sleeves and pink anklets. Her hair is equiped with a blue flower, and she has clear pink wings. Her attitude is cheery, though she will scold Kirito if he is swayed by other girls. She is fearless and determinate, and due to being a Mental Health Counseling Program, she will eagerly set her 'parents' straight if they feel sad or angered.

**Now for those who don't know Kingdom Hearts, here is what you need to know about all the main characters.**

Sora: The main protagonist of Kingdom Hearts. He is an upbeat teenager, who gets a bit simple minded at times. However, he is fully aware of the dangers and importance of his quests, and will follow them through to the end. He has a strong sense of justice and an unbreakable heart. He is impulsive at times, and is quick to anger when defending his friends, but is totally sincere about he does or says. His character description is in the story.

Goofy: One of Sora's friends and comrades, and is Captain of the Royal Knights at Disney Castle. He doesn't like using weapons, so instead he fights with a shield. He avoids fighting when possible, prefers peaceful solutions. Though he is simple-minded and clumsy, and constantly the comic relief, he is almost always optimistic and selectively perceptive, able to see things others miss, and is cool when Sora and Donald go ballistic.

Donald Duck: One of Sora's friends and comrades, and is the Royal Magician of Disney Castle. He uses a mage staff in combat. He, like Goofy, is a comic relief character, and does that more than advancing the plot. He is rash and aggressive, but he is always loyal to all of his friends.

DiZ: His real name being Ansem the Wise, He conseals his face in red bandages so as not to be discovered by others. He once studied the hearts and the Heartless, but has stopped his work from fear and disrupting the orders of the world. Ever since his apprentice, Xehanort, betrayed him, Ansem was driven by vengeance, but changed his heart when he saw Riku give up his physical form to help Sora. Now, he is determinate to aiding the heroes in their quest to stop Organization XIII from having their way.

Riku: A childhood friend of Sora's. He is a Keyblade wielder with the power of Darkness, though he will sacrifice himself to save his friends. While trying to help Sora, Riku lost his physical form, and now looks like the Heartless Ansem.

Jiminy Cricket: The small records keeper for Sora, Donald and Goofy, who writes down the story of their journey. He is informative, and aids his friends anyway he can.

**Just a note on the a move set told in Ep. 1, the Double Circular, to me, is basically like Link's Sword Spin in Legend of Zelda, only with two blades. The Shooting Star can be best described as a strong, shining pierce with the rapier.**


	2. Ep 1: The Keys of a Different World

**_(This story is based on the anime 'Sword Arts Online and Kingdom Hearts II. Due to not have read the manga of SAO, I'm only going by what I have watched.)_**

**Prologue**

In the basement of a large mansion, DiZ was sitting at his computer, typing away at the complicated keyboard. leaning on the wall at one end was a man dressed in a black robe, his head covered by a dark hood. That was Riku, or at least, Riku in his Ansem form.

"Sora's heart is nearly complete." DiZ informed, "It is now time for Roxas to reunite with him once more." "At long last," Riku stated, "I was waiting for this moment. That sleepyhead friend of mine will soon wake up." "Yes," DiZ replied, smiling a bit at Riku's sarcasm, "He will be ready to face the looming dangers that are about to appose him."

DiZ looked up at a separate monitor, where he was observing the digital Twilight Town. There, he noticed a boy with yellow spiky hair being attacked by a red, spiky-haired man. They were Roxas and Axel respectively. He quickly tapped away on the keyboard, and suddenly Axel froze in mid-swing. "Roxas, to the mansion!" DiZ cried into the speaker, "The time has come." "Hayner! Pence! Olette!" Roxas cried in desperation. Seeing as nothing happened, he started to run to the mansion.

"Good," DiZ confirmed, "Now I shall let my digital counterpart take care of the rest." He stood up and turned to Riku. "Go and gather up Namine`. She is of no use to us anymore." he told him. Riku nodded and walked to the digital transporter. He stopped with one foot on it.

"By the way," Riku stated, "I couldn't help but notice you were working on a side project while gathering up Sora's memories." DiZ turned back to the monitor. "Yes," he answered, sitting down and tapping on the computer, "I had recently discovered a link to a different world, one not from our dimension. There, I found a world inside of a 'game' far greater than what I created." "A game?" Riku asked. "A game that was once a life or death sort of game." DiZ explained, "A game that real people can created digital copies of themselves inside it. I had learned, through my research, that there are heroes there with unimaginable skills and strength. I am very intrigued by this world, especially these heroes that they talk about."

"So what do you plan on doing with this new world?" Riku asked him. "I sent a test subject to that world. I want to find out how strong they are, and if they are capable of helping."

Riku looked puzzled at his words. "So tell me, what is this 'game's' name?" he asked. DiZ finished typing and looked at the monitor, where it displayed an egg-shaped castle floating in the sky. "The game's name..." he said, turning to Riku, "...is Sword Arts Online."

_(Play 'Crossing Fields' opening)_

**Chapter 1: The Unknown Quest**

It had been one year since the end of Sugou's manipulation on ALO. School just ended, and Kazuto was walking back home again. "Hey, Kirito!" cried a familiar voice. Kazuto turned and saw his girlfriend, Asuna, rushing towards he, her school bag flailing in the air as she waved. "Asuna," he moaned, "I thought you promised that you wouldn't call me that in the real world." "Sorry, force of habit." Asuna giggled, walking up next to him. They started walking home together. Ever since that day they were reunited in the real world, Asuna and Kazuto spent loads of time together, both in and out of ALO. In fact, about five months ago, Asuna's family moved into the same neighborhood as Kazuto's, Asuna begging to go there of course. Still, she refused to tell him the truth, and simply said that it was her families idea. Kazuto knows that it wasn't true, but he played along with it.

"So are you planning to go online again?" Asuna asked Kazuto. "Yeah," he replied, "I've actually heard that a weird quest just activated at floor 57 at the SAO castle. I only heard rumors, but based on what I heard, there is a really tough monster there, and it is called 'Guard Armor'." "Sounds interesting." Asuna said absentmindedly. "Yeah, but the weirdest part is that even Yui didn't understand how it came there."

Asuna stopped in surprise. "Really?" she asked him. "Really, she had no idea." Kazuto replied, "All she learned was that some unknown programmer hacked into the system, and sent the armor in as a quest. I don't know who's idea it was to do such a thing, but if they wanted to try out a new program, I'm willing to give it a shot."

He started to walk onward when Asuna grabbed his arm. "Kirito, wait." She said, "I know you have been on your own a lot in that game. Most of the time, you wouldn't even let me join with you in your battles anymore." She looked down, her eyes sad. "Are you trying to drift away from people again? Are you avoiding me for a reason?" Kazuto looked at her for a second, then he turned to her and hugged her. "Sorry," he apologized, "I guess it's a habit of mine I have a hard time breaking. Don't worry, I still love you, Asuna, in and out of the game." Asuna blushed as his kindness, then she smiled as she wrapped her arms around Kazuto. If she was really honest with herself, she wished she could be embraced like this for all of time.

Kazuto let go of her and stared at her. "I know," he exclaimed, "how about we take down this monster together?" "Sure," Asuna replied, smiling at him, "I'll meet you at the 57th floor."

Once they got home, they both went to their separate houses. Kazuto walked past her adopted sister, who was focusing with swinging her kendo stick. She had been working just as hard in ALO for a while, but she spent a lot more time in the real world nowadays. He walked into his room, placed the ALO cd into the computer, crawled into his bed, and placed his Nerve Gear on. "Link Start." Kazuto said, and his mind entered the world of ALO.

Kirito appeared, deciding to take on his SAO form, at the upper level town, far higher than floor 57. "Yui, you with me?" he asked. Suddenly, Yui the pixie digitized herself onto Kirito's shoulder. "Hi there, papa." She said to him, "Are you planning to go to this unknown quest?" "You bet." he replied, smiling at Yui, "and Asuna is coming with us, too." "Mama's coming? That's great!" cheered the little fairy, flipping in the air. "I haven't seen you two fight together for a while. I was worried something might have happened to you two in the real world." Kirito looked to one side, thinking. Why was he being so distant these days? He knew it wasn't his bad habits kicking in again. He knew the answer, but he couldn't say it. He started to wonder if maybe he was losing his feelings for Asuna.

"Papa?" Yui asked. Kirito snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Yui. "It's ok." he comforted her, rubbing a finger on her head. He turned to the Warp Gate, and held out a crystal. "Teleport: Floor 57!" he shouted, and he was teleported away.

Fifteen minutes later, Kirito was leaning close to the gate outside of the town, waiting and yawning. Finally, he heard Asuna's voice as she came rushing in meeting him. Asuna decided to come in her SAO form as well. "Sorry I'm late." she said, "I had to get all my gear prepared. You can never know what might happen." Kirito nodded, and the two set out, Yui flying onto Asuna's shoulder. They walked for quite a while, Kirito observing his map to see where the quest was at. Finally, they reached a chasm, which was the correct destination. The two stopped together right at the entrance, looking into the darkened location. "Alright," Kirito stated, "let's go in, but keep your teleport crystal ready." Asuna didn't even need to hear this, as she knew the drill. The duo walked into the dungeon.

The place wasn't as hard as the floors above. Kirito and Asuna easily sliced and diced their way through the monsters that stood their way. The dungeon was slightly complicated to go around, but they managed their way through.

Finally, after slicing down another monster, they reached a door. The door wasn't anything special, except it had an odd-looking, heart-shaped symbol with a red cross inside of it. "Do you know what this symbol means?" Asuna asked Kirito. "I've never seen it before." he answered, "How about you, Yui?" Yui closed her eyes for a second, apparently searching the database, but she looked up and shook her head. The three nervously looked at the door, wondering. If this wasn't something that any of them know, then what was it?

Kirito and Asuna looked at each other, and nodded. They placed a hand out and pushed the door open. The duo cautiously walked in, their swords at the ready. Yui dove into Kirito's pocket in fright. The duo looked around, wondering where the monster could be. The door closed itself behind them. The area around them suddenly glowed, and it somehow transformed into an unusual town square, with tall walls and lamp posts all around them. "What the..." gasped Kirito, never seeing something like this happen in a dungeon. "What's going on?" Asuna asked, turning around to see that the door disappeared on them.

Suddenly from up above, a pile of oversized, purple and black armor fell to the ground, composed of helmet, body, gauntlets and boots. The sudden appearance surprised the two. They stopped and looked at the armor, which wasn't moving. "What is this?" Asuna asked. "Did someone beat us to it?" Kirito asked.

They took only a few steps closer before the armor started to shake. Suddenly the pieces started to float into the air. The body centered itself, the gauntlets floating to either side of it, the feet were underneath its' body, and it's head was propped on top. It landed onto the ground and stared at the two intruders, who were shocked by this sudden appearance. They had never seen something like this before. They could easily tell that this wasn't gonna be easy.

**Chapter 2: Swords Vs. Guard Armor vs. Fears**

"Wha-what is this thing?!" Asuna asked, shocked at this new form of monster. Kirito looked closely at the armored monster before him. Sure enough, the name 'Guard Armor' appeared above it. It's lv. was unknown, and not only did its' body have a life bar, but so did the arms and legs. The only difference was that the arms and legs had less life bars. He could also see the weird heart that was on the wall before was on the armor's chest. "I've never seen a boss like this before." Kirito stated, instantly activating Dual Wield, "Whatever this thing is, we can take it."

Kirito charged in yelling, his swords raised. He leapt up and struck the armor on the torso, leaving a red gash mark on it. Guard Armor retaliated by spinning it's claws around him like a chainsaw, causing Kirito to fall back.

"Switch!" Asuna cried, leaping in replace for Kirito. She did a repetitive jab at one of the claws, and she noticed the life bar decreasing slightly. However, she wasn't aware of the other claw, which came flying from right behind his body. Asuna barely had time to block it with her rapier, but she was flung back from the force.

"Asuna!" Kirito cried, seeing what the armor did to her. He jumped back to his feet and angrily came at the armor. He was about to attack it's feet, but it jumped up into the air, dodging his attack. It then came crashing down onto Kirito, crushing him in the ground, causing his life bar to decrease exponentially.

"Kirito!" Asuna cried out, rushing to his aid. Guard Armor got up and started projecting it's arms out at Asuna as he stomped towards her. She dodged both attacks and came to Kirito's side. "Kirito, are you ok?" she asked. Kirito got to his feet again. "I'm fine," he lied, stumbling as he tried to stand.

They stared at the armor, who was on a rampage as it was stomping every which-way. "This one's pretty tough." Kirito stated, "But it does have a major flaw; each of its' body parts has a life bar, so maybe if we knock them down to zero, that should slow it down." He pulled out a small healing potion and drank it, restoring his strength. "Here's the plan; you attack the feet, I'll aim for the claws, got it?" He asked Asuna. She nodded in response, and the two came charging at Guard Armor.

The armor saw them and shot a claw at them. Asuna leapt to one side as Kirito parried its' attack with his swords. He pushed them back started vigorously striking at the claws as Asuna leapt around the stomping feet and striking them. They kept the attack going for a while, neither one giving up.

Finally, Kirito knocked one of the claw's life bars down to zero, and the arm fell on the ground, lifeless. "That's one down!" he shouted, blocking it's other claw from attacking him.

Asuna pierced right through it's left foot, causing its' life bar to go down to zero. The foot keeled over and was lifeless, too. "I got one part here!" she yelled, seeing the Guard Armor start hopping around on one foot.

Both of them regrouped aways from the armor, and charged once more at it. Kirito unleashed a Double Circular at the claw, causing its' life bar to go straight to zero and fall to the ground, while Asuna unleashed her Shooting Star technique onto its' foot, causing its' power to go down to zero too. All was left was the body itself.

Kirito didn't waist anytime as he charged at what remained of Guard Armor's body. "You're mine!" he shouted, unleashing his two swords at it. However, the armor started to spin like a top, not only parrying Kirito's attack, but flinging him away. Asuna tried to attack, but was dealt the same way.

The two of them collapsed to one side, seeing their life bars go into the red. _I gotta stop it somehow_, thought Kirito, _but how can I do that? _He looked down at Asuna, who was breathing heavily. He couldn't let her get hurt, so he decided to go at it alone.

Just as he was about to attack, Asuna reached out and grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?!" she asked exasperatedly, "Kirito, you can't fight that thing on your own. It's too strong!" "I can't let this thing beat me!" he declared, trying to hide the truth from his in-game wife. Asuna was smarter than that, however, and knew what he was trying to do. "I know you, Kirito." she said silently, "We've been together for over three years now. You don't want me to get hurt, but killing yourself isn't gonna prove anything to me!" Kirito looked at her tearful face. "I don't want your 'lone wolf' attitude to keep going like this. I love you, Kirito, and I want to protect you, and for us to fight together as we take this armor down!"

Kirito looked at Asuna's face, the tears coming from her eyes, but she shown signs of seriousness. She was absolutely honest in what she said, and who could blame her. Kirito still knows her as one of the strongest players in the game. Still, he was hiding the absolute truth from her, why he was worried about bringing her into this. He knelt down to her level and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm really sorry." he said to her, "I didn't mean to upset you or abandon you or anything. It's just..." his eyes were shadowed as he looked down, "I have been having these bad dreams. Dreams about you, my sister, my friends here, all of them dying." Asuna looked wide-eyed at him. "These nightmares kept plaguing me." he continued, "I didn't want to see you guys get killed, even if it is just a game. I know you can't actually die anymore in this world, but my dreams were different. I see a shadow envelop you, and next thing you know, I see your hearts being taken away, and you just disappear." Asuna couldn't help but see the tears run down Kirito's face, not from just sadness, but also fear. "That's why I have been going solo these past few months." he finished, "I just didn't want to see you guys disappear on me. I'm such a coward to think that but..."

Kirito was unable to finish his sentence, but Asuna understood him at last. She reached her hand out and raised his head. She then kissed him on the lips for a few seconds. "You're such a softy, Kirito." she told him, "You don't have to worry about that, silly. Remember who you're talking to. I'm Lightning Flash Asuna, as well as your wife. You don't have anything to worry about. As for the others, they're strong as well. They know how to take care of themselves." She grasped his hand with hers. "If you were so worried about this, you should've told me. You shouldn't face things like that on your own, you know that. It'll ruin your heart"

Kirito looked at his girlfriend's smiling face, and realized that she was right. He wiped away the tears from his face and smiled. "You're right." he stated, "I'm sorry about that." "Hey, I'm just trying to cheer you back up." she corrected him as they both stood up.

They turned to see Guard Armor go on a rampage again, starting to spin towards them. Both of their faces went serious. "Let's take him out, together." Kirito declared. "Right." Asuna replied. They jumped to either side as the armor charged into a wall. Kirito charged at the armor and started to swing his swords furiously at it. It caused its' life bar to go down. The Armor leapt into the air and was about to slam on top of Kirito again. Kirito jumped backwards, avoiding the crushing blow.

Guard Armor got back up again and started to spin rapidly at him. "Switch!" Kirito cried, grabbing Asuna's hand and flinging her upwards. She was above the armors helmet, eyeing the center of it. She then placed a powerful jab onto the armor with her rapier, causing major damage onto it. The armor collapsed in agony, unable to move.

"Let's finish this thing off!" Kirito shouted as Asuna landed next to him. They charged up their skill attacks as they charged at the armor. They slashed through the monster together, and with a wave of their swords, the monster's cut marks suddenly came out. Its' life bar went to zero, and all of the pieces disappeared. However, a large heart came from where the armor disappeared, and it floated into the sky and disappeared. Kirito and Asuna watched this.

"I wonder what that was?" Asuna asked. "It looked strangely like it was in my dream." Kirito answered, shivering slightly at the reality compared to his dreams.

Their was complete silence after the armor disappeared. The location they were in didn't disappear along with it. "Wait, shouldn't we have cleared this?" asked Asuna looking around, "There isn't even a 'congratulations' for us, nor experience, nor anything." Yui flew out of Kirito's pocket. "Something is not right here." Kirito assumed, staring around, "the door isn't even appearing for us." "Teleport: Aincrad!" Asuna shouted, raising her crystal up. Nothing happened. "What do we do?" she asked, staring around in desperation. For once in a long time, Kirito didn't know.

**Chapter 3: Dive into the Heart**

Kirito, Asuna and Yui looked all around, wondering how to get out. "Were trapped in here!" exclaimed Asuna, trying to open a door, but it was shut tight. "Dammit." growled Kirito, looking at the fountain, "Yui, can you find a way out for us?" "I'm trying," she said to him, "but something is wrong. I can't seem to access the data from outside this room. I can't find a way out."

Asuna walked over to the other two. "What can we do?" Asuna panicked, "Just wait for someone to open the door for us so we can get out?" "I don't detect the doors presence anymore." Yui confirmed, closing her eyes and concentrating, "It seems like the door deleted itself." "You're kidding?" Kirito asked, staring around the atmosphere. This was suppose to be someone else's program. Was this their plan all along? Were they gonna trap them in there forever?

"Hey! If that damn programmer can hear me," Kirito shouted, "I want out right now! We had enough of your stupid game, so let us out NOW!" There was a pause for which his voice seem to echo for a bit. Finally, something did happen, but not how they expected.

The center of the room started to delete itself, and it was spreading wider and wider. It moved so fast, that Kirito and Asuna didn't have time to react. They found themselves screaming as they fell into the pitch black darkness below, Yui falling with them. They disappeared as they faded into the blackness. "The time has come." said DiZ's voice.

_(Play 'Dive into the Heart' KH music)_

Kirito opened his eyes slowly. He remembered what happened to him. He slowly got up into a sitting position, his head throbbing. "Ow, that hurt." he said, looking at his life bar. He then realized it wasn't there. _Wait, why isn't it there?_ he told himself. He picked himself up and looked around. He saw that he was on a giant, glowing column somewhere in the darkness. He looked down and depicted a picture of himself, looking as if he was asleep, with four other pictures containing the faces of Asuna, Yui, Suguha and, for some reason, Kayaba Akihiko. _What is this place? _he thought to himself, staring around, _How did I get here?_

He then realized that neither Asuna nor Yui were near him, not even on the column. He looked around, shouting their names, but got no response. _Where are they? _he thought, looking desperately for them.

_Do not worry_. said an unknown voice, which made Kirito jump in surprise, _Your friends are ok._ "Who's there?" she shouted, staring all around him. _So many things to do, so little time. _The voice continued, _now please step into the center._ Kirito was very hesitant, but he wanted to know where his friends were as soon as possible, so he will follow the orders. He stepped into the center.

Suddenly, three small plinths came out from the ground all around him. An object materialized on top of each pillar; a shield, a wand and a sword. _The power sleeps within you. _explained the voice, _If you give it form,it will give you strength._ "What are you talking about?" Kirito asked, lifting his hand to grab his swords, but they weren't there, "Wait, where are they?" _You must choose. _The voice told him, _What power do you want the most? _"What power?" Kirito asked. _The sword will give you strength, the shield will give you defense, and the wand will give you magic. _the voice explained, _choose wisely._

Kirito didn't know what to think of the situation. He looked at each item for a while, then he walked up to the sword. It was his main weapon, of course. _The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this what you choose?_ "Yeah, sure." Kirito said without a care. _Very well then. _The voice replied, and suddenly the sword vanished from Kirito's hands.

_Your path is set._ It continued, _Now, what will you give up in exchange?_ "What I will give up?" Kirito asked. He knew this was too easy. He looked at the two remaining objects. Will he give up defense or magic. Considering his fighting style, he walked over to the wand and picked it up. _The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin. Do you wish to give it up? _"Sure." Kirito answered, and the wand disappeared from his hands.

_You have chosen the power of the warrior and have given up the power of the mystic. Is this what you want?_ "Yes, of course, now tell me where Asuna and Yui are?" Kirito said exasperatedly. _Patience, my child. _the voice replied.

Just then the platform started to break around him and he fell. Next thing he knew, he was on another platform, one with a different hue. _You have gained the power to fight. _The voice explained. _There will be many times when you will fight, whether you want to or not. _Just then, several small, strange black creatures popped out from the ground, surrounding Kirito. "What are...?" he asked, but the voice interrupted him._ Remember to keep your light strong, for it is your greatest weapon._ Suddenly, the sword he picked up before appeared in his hand. "If you want me to fight these things, then bring it on!" he shouted. He slashed the enemies one after another, and they disappeared into the shadows.

"How's that?" Kirito asked. Suddenly, the platform disappeared on him. "Not again!" Kirito cried as he fell once more. He entered a strange blue bubble, and he then found himself... in the town square of the Town of Beginnings. He looked all around, and only noticed three people, three familiar people. One was Klein, the second was Silicia and her dragon, and the third was his sister, Suguha.

Kirito walked up to Klein first. "Hey Klein, what's up?" he asked. "What is it you're afraid of the most?" Klein asked. "Huh?" said a confused Kirito. _Your friends and family will each ask you a question. _said the voice, _answer them properly._ "Ok, then." Kirito slowly answered, "I guess the one thing I fear the most is... losing something that's important."

He walked over to Silicia. "What is the one thing you care more than anything else in the world?" she asked. "More than anything?" Kirito repeated. He thought about Asuna and Yui. "I guess...I care for the friends I make, and for those who are closer than friends." he answered.

He finally walked over to Suguha. "Kirito, what is your wish?" she asked him considerately. "My wish, huh?" he echoed, "My wish...is to protect those I care for from any harm whatsoever." _Well said. _replied the voice.

The town square disappeared, and Kirito found himself on another platform. "Can you please bring me to Asuna and Yui?" he asked desperately. _The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes. _Out of nowhere, a shadow appeared and it took the form to look like Kirito, who was startled at his sudden appearance. _Don't be afraid, and don't forget, for you hold the most powerful weapon of all. _The voice said to him. Kirito decided to forget talking to the voice and concentrated all his fighting onto the shadow before him, who came slashing at him. Kirito was in head-to-head combat with his shadow, who was as equally powerful, and who kept trying to strike at his vitals. Finally, Kirito lost it and knocked his shadow's sword to one side and sliced it down the middle, defeating it.

_You have done well. _the voice complimented him, _You now have the power to face any enemy that comes your way. Remember what you've learned and what you will learn. And most of all, remember that you have the power to open the Door to Light._ "Wait, what are you talking about?" Kirito asked, looking every which way to find the voice, "What Door to Light? What enemies? And what about Asuna and Yui?!"

Suddenly, he was blinded by a bright light that appeared out of nowhere. Kirito shielded his eyes. "Asuna! Yui! Asuna!" he cried as he disappeared in the light.

**Chapter 4: New World, New Weapons**

"Mama! Papa!" The voice of Yui seemed to come into Kirito's ears, slowly but steadily waking his brain. _What happened? _was the first question he thought. "Mama! Papa!" Yui's voice cried out again. _That voice...Yui?_ Kirito thought. Then it clicked. Everything that happened to him, the boss, the fall, the dream, and finally, Asuna and Yui.

He snapped his eyes open. He quickly raised his head, and remembered why he shouldn't have done that as his head started to spin. "Papa!" Yui cried, flying over to his arms and hugging him. "Yui," Kirito moaned, "are you ok?" "I sure am!" Yui replied, flying in front of his face, "We fell down that big hole before, and I think my system crashed for a while, but when I rebooted, I found myself here, and you two were lying unconscious on the ground." "You mean..." Kirito realized.

He turned and saw Asuna sprawled on the ground close to him. "Asuna!" he cried, reaching down her her and picking her up. "Asuna, say something! Asuna!" he shouted, shaking her. She moaned slightly and opened her eyes a bit. She looked up at Kirito. "Ki-ri-to?" she said softly. "Asuna," Kirito gasped in relief, hugging her tightly in his arms. Asuna hugged back slightly as her strength was coming back. Yui dove onto her, hugging her as well.

Kirito let go of her as she sat up. "Are you ok?" he asked her. "I think so." she responded, rubbing her head, "Had a really weird dream." "Yeah, me too." Kirito told her. He wondered if they had the same dream.

The two got back up to their feet and looked around. They found themselves inside a small room, composed of nothing but machinery. In one corner was the oddest looking computer system Kirito and Asuna ever seen. The technology was so far advance, and there were monitors all around it, and the keyboard was just as confusing. "Do you know where we are, Yui?" Asuna asked. "No, I don't." she replied, surprising the two, "I tried hard to scan the data around here, but their is none." She looked at all of the technology on the walls as she continued, "I highly estimate that these things are not digitally made objects. None of this is. Not even you guys are made of data anymore." "We aren't?" Kirito asked, looking down himself. He was still wearing his SAO attire, and so was Asuna.

"I don't understand," Asuna said, "If we aren't made of data, then where are we?" Yui looked at them hesitantly before saying, "I thought about it long and hard, and concluded one thing; we are in the real world." Asuna and Kirito's eyes went wide.

"Wait, hold on!" Kirito cut in, "If we are in the real world, then why are we still in our attire, and why would you be here if we are in the real world?" Yui looked down in shame. "I don't really know." she answered, "This is all weird and strange to me. I can't even make myself bigger again." she then dropped a tear, and instead of turning to data, it dripped onto the floor. She was crying real tears. She was real. "Mama, Papa," she sobbed, "I don't know what to do. I'm so scared." Asuna walked over and hugged her to her chest. Kirito watched them, wondering about what just happened. He looked at the computer for a while, then he sat down and tried to tap away at the computer. The two girls heard him and watched him. He looked up at the monitors and tried to comprehend what it was saying. After a while, Kirito stopped typing and looked at the screen, his jaw dropped in absolute shock.

"What is it?" Asuna asked him, worried about his expression. Kirito looked down, trying to figure a way to phrase this to Asuna and Yui. "I, I don't really know how to say this," he hesitantly said, "But after looking at this, I can conclude one thing." He turned to them. "This is neither the real world nor the digital world. We are looking at an alternate dimension."

Both Asuna and Yui gasped, absolutely petrified. "We-we are in an alternate dimension?!" Asuna stammered. "Yeah," Kirito replied, looking up at the screen, "First of all, I can definitely tell that whatever that Guard Armor was, it came from this computer. I looked further into it, and discovered that whoever discovered our world only knew about SAO and ALO. He also learned about us, and the things we've done. Therefore, he placed that monster specifically for us." "But why?" she asked, "To kill us?"

"No, to test us." Kirito corrected, "He wanted to see what we were capable of. Why he need us, I'm not sure. Once we defeated Guard Armor, there is a special program that activates soon afterwards. The program sends our digital data through a network system, and although our real bodies are back home, still unconscious, we are here, real, and in another dimension."

Kirito looked up at the two gawking girls before him. They were stunned out of their belief. "So, let me get this straight," Asuna said, walking up to Kirito, "You're saying that we are here, real, in a different dimension, and our real bodies are also back home, too? And is their anyway of going home?" She started to slide her hand in the air to activate her menu screen, but nothing showed up. "I'm afraid the program was made to get people from ALO to here." Kirito mournfully said, "It doesn't say how to get back."

Asuna fell to her knees, absolutely scared. "This isn't fair." she said woefully, "I just got back to the real world, having been trapped in both SAO and ALO, and now I ended up in another place that is further away from home?" She started to cry.

Kirito understood her pain, though she went through it longer. He had just got back home, too, and had all of his friends in the real world, and now, look where they were at. He got off the chair and knelt down to hug her. She sobbed like crazy into her shoulder, unable to take the reality of the situation. Yui started to cry as well. This was the first time she had ever been a real being, and now she was afraid because she was helpless.

For a while, nothing but the sounds of Asuna's sobs and Yui's sniffles could be heard. Suddenly, a door opened for them. They looked up and saw the open area. Asuna tried to dry her tears as Kirito stood up. He stared suspiciously at the door, then he turned to his crying girlfriend.

"Listen, Asuna," Kirito told her, "I know it is painful, but the fact is we are stuck her for the time being. Now if we want to get back home, we need to find the bastard that brought us here in the first place." Asuna looked up at him with tear-strained eyes. Yui looked at him as well. "The fact is that he is the only one, or at least I think he is the only one, that has the power to bring us back home. If we find him, we'll demand that he'd bring us back home, safe and sound." He forced a smile on his face as he said, "Don't worry, we'll be home in no time."

Asuna looked at him for a while, then he wiped her eyes as she stood up. When she removed her arm, her face became serious. "Right, he's got to be around here somewhere." she concluded, "Let's find him." Kirito nodded. Yui, who was wiping her eyes, nodded as well. The trio then walked through the newly-opened door, and set out into the next room.

They entered a rather spacious room, with nothing inside of it. They looked around and saw another door on the other side. As they were about to walk to it, they were halted by black shadows in the ground. They suddenly formed the same black creatures that attack Kirito in his dream. "Not these things again!" he moaned. "Wait, you fought them, too?" Asuna asked, "Was it in your dream?" Kirito nodded. He was right, they really did have the same dream. "Man, I could use my swords right now." he said as the creatures came in closer.

_Hold out your hand. _said a voice. It was the same voice Kirito heard before. _Summon your weapon into your hand._ "How do we do that?" Asuna asked. "Let's try concentrating." Kirito suggested. Each held out their weapon hand and concentrated. Suddenly, a flash of light, and two weapons appeared in their hands. Both had the same large key-shaped look to them. Kirito's was black, ominous looking, and had a chain with a black crown on it. Asuna's was white, was much kinder-looking, and had a star on the end of its' chain.

"What in the world?" Kirito exclaimed, staring at his weapon. "What are these?" Asuna asked, tilting it left and right. _Use them, now!_ cried the voice. Kirito and Asuna looked at the shadowy creatures, and knew that it wasn't the time to ask questions. They got into battle positions, and charged.

Kirito sliced at the incoming creatures, and with one hit, knocked them back and disappeared. Asuna jabbed her weapon at the horde, and each were shunted back and disappeared. They easily overpowered their opponents with their new weapons. Kirito and Asuna sliced up the last one and looked at each other. "This thing ain't bad." Kirito said admiringly as he raised his key-like weapon. "I agree," Asuna seconded, "this sword seems so light, and yet so strong."

_Those are your Keyblades._ the voice explained. "Key-blade?" they asked simultaneously. _Through passing the trial in your dreams, you had unlocked the power to use your Keyblades._ The voice continued. _Kirito, your Keyblade is called 'Oblivion'. Asuna, your Keyblade is called 'Oathkeeper'._ Each stared at their new weapon. _I wish you the best of luck. _The voice said, it's tone trailing off, _I will leave everything to you now..._ The voice trailed off and disappeared,

Kirito and Asuna looked around, then looked at each other. "I guess their is a silver-lining in everything." said a beaming Kirito as he shouldered his Keyblade, "This new sword feels loads better than any of my other swords." Asuna looked disgruntled at Kirito's free-spiritedness, considering the situation. She looked at her Oathkeeper, and she couldn't help but smile. He was right though, these swords are pretty good.

"I wonder how you put this away?" Kirito asked, staring at the Oblivion. He concentrated to put it away, and the sword disappeared on him. "Oh, that's how." he answered. Asuna saw this and did the same thing. Yui, who was watching from above, floated down to them giggling. She landed on Asuna's shoulder as they moved on towards the next door, wondering what was in store.

**Chapter 5: Sora, Donald and Goofy**

Kirito opened the door into a bit brighter hallway. Along the walls were what looked like giant bulbs. They looked all around the room for a while before Asuna gasped, "Look!", pointing at two of the bulbs. Kirito looked and saw two face inside them. Whatever they were, they sure weren't human. The first one was short, with a face that looked like a duck with a blue beret on top. The second one was tall, his face was doggish, with an orange, odd-looking hat on top. If Kirito had to guess, they seemed a bit cartoony in ways.

"I wonder who they are?" Kirito asked, starting at the two. Yui flew in closer to look at them. "They're asleep." she told them, looking at each of them. "Are they for real?" Asuna asked. "Well, we are in an alternate dimension." Kirito concluded, "We should be ready for stuff like this." However, they weren't ready for what was about to happen.

Out of nowhere, machine sounds started to happen around the bulbs the two things were in. Suddenly, the bulbs started to open up on them, frightening Yui as she dived behind her family's backs. Kirito and Asuna were backing off slightly as they watched the bulbs open up like flower petals.

They were fully opened when they saw movement coming from the two creatures. Both of them stretched and yawned, and as the duck looked around the room from the platform he was on, the dog tried to step out, but he slipped and fell face-first into the ground. "Oof!" it huffed as it fell, then it looked up and all around, "Gwarsh, where are we?" it said. "I don't remember ever being here before." the duck squawked as it jumped down to the ground and trip over in drowsiness.

The dog then noticed Kirito, Asuna and Yui staring. He got to his feet again. "Howdy there," he greeted to them, "Do ya happen to know where are?" "Uh," Kirito said, not sure how to respond to a talking dog that stood up on two feet, "Sorry, but I really don't know either." "We just appeared in this basement from out of nowhere." Asuna explained. The duck waddled over to them and looked closely at them. "How do we know your not lying to us?" he asked them. "Believe me, we don't know." Kirito responded, "What about you guys, do you know this place?" The dog and the duck looked at each other, then shook their heads. Asuna sighed. "Guess we're all in the same situation then." She said.

Kirito walked up to them and looked at them suspiciously. "Tell me, who are you guys?" he asked. "My name is Donald Duck." the duck answered. "The name's Goofy." the dog responded. "Well it's nice to meet you two," Kirito said curiously, "My name is Kirito." "I'm Asuna." Asuna responded. "And I'm their daughter, Yui!" chimed the fairy as she flown around them. "Daughter?" Donald asked. "It's a long story." Kirito responded, grabbing Yui in his hands and muffling her.

The two looked at each other, and then they gasped. "Wait, where's Sora?!" Donald asked. "Do ya think he's awake, too?" Goofy asked. They looked down the corner of the hallway, where they saw a big door, and they charged in. Kirito and Asuna looked at each other before following.

Inside the doors was a big room, with a large white dome covering it. In the center was another bulb, but it was much larger than the others, and more technologically advanced. The interior was not see-through like Donald's or Goofy's.

Donald and Goofy were staring at it. "Sora!" cried Donald. "Sora, wake up!" Goofy called out. For a while, the group didn't hear a response. Then suddenly they heard more mechanical noises. The large bud-like machine flashed through the grooves, then it started to open up like a lily in front of them, and inside was the first human they actually saw here. He was somewhat younger than Kirito, lanky, with light brown, spiky hair. His uniform looked a little too small for him.

He yawned and stretched as he woke up, and he saw Donald and Goofy and leapt out of the bulb and hugged the both of them. "Donald, Goofy!" he greeted them as he got up. They started to jump in a circle together, laughing as they were reunited. Then another character came out from behind the boy. He was small like Yui right now, with a bug-like face, and he had on a top hat, and a coat with a tux, and he even carried an umbrella.

"That was some nap." he yawned as he hopped down onto the ground. "You mean, we were asleep?" the boy asked. "I guess we musta been, or I don't think we'd be so drowsy..." he stated. "When did ya' we went to sleep?" Goofy asked. Both Donald and the boy crossed their arms in thought. "Let's see," the boy recalled, "we defeated Ansem..." "Yep," replied Goofy. "...Restored peace to the world, found Kairi...oh yeah, and then we went to look for Riku. I think that's right so far?" "Then what?" Donald asked.

They all pondered in thought, then Goofy asked, "What does your journal say, Jiminy?" The bug, Jiminy pulled out a small book and looked at it. "Gee," he said surprised, "There's only one sentence: 'Thank Naminé'. Hm, I wonder who that is?" The trio of friends looked at each other before shaking their head in response. "Some journal that is." moaned Donald. Jiminy looked doubtful for a second, then he responded, "Well, what do ya say we find out where we are!"

They nodded in agreement, and turned towards the door. That's when they realized Kirito, Asuna and Yui watching their scene. "Oh," the boy exclaimed, "Sorry, do you know where we are." "Sorry, Sora, " Goofy apoligized, "These folks don't know where they are either. Their names are Kiro...Kira..." "Kirito." he corrected him, "I'm Kirito. And these two are Asuna and Yui." The girls waved at them. "Nice to meet you guys." the boy responded, walking forward to greet them. "My name is Sora."

**Well, what do you think of my project. After seeing SAO, I just had to develop an idea like this. I hope you enjoy it.**


	3. Ep 2: Mysterious Tower! A New Journey!

**Chapter 1: Talking in Twilight Town**

Kirito, Asuna, Sora, Donald and Goofy all walked up to the first floor, with Yui and Jiminy sitting on their shoulders. After looking around, they discovered that they were in some sort of mansion, but it looked abandoned and wrecked. They stepped outside, where they discovered the front garden surrounded by walls, with a large opened gate out in front, leading outside.

Asuna stretched as she inhaled the outside air. "Finally," she said, "The interior was very musty." Donald and Goofy walked ahead of them and looked around. Yui and Jiminy went over to a bird bath and talked to each other. "So," Kirito started, "You really can't remember what happened to either you or your friends?" Sora pondered on the question. "Nope, I can't remember anything." he answered, "But what about you guys. Any idea how you got down there?"

Both Kirito and Asuna looked at each other, and shook their heads. They knew how they came to this world, but as for the basement, they didn't know that part. "I see," Sora sighed. The trio heard a bell ringing off in the distance. They looked up at the sunset sky.

"So, can you tell me at least where this place is?" Sora asked them. Asuna looked a bit anxious to answer, but Kirito stepped in. "Sorry, but the fact is that we are not from this world." he answered. Sora seemed a bit startled. "Really?" he asked, "So what world do you belong to?" "Well, we are from..." Kirito started to say, but he stopped after comprehending Sora's question, "Wait, you aren't surprised by this?" "Course not," Sora replied, crossing his wrists behind his neck as if he was leaning back, "I've been to plenty of worlds, so it's not a big deal."

Kirito stared back at Asuna, who was showing the same shocked expression as him. There were many other worlds other than this one? And this boy has been to them? Kirito thought about how to reply to this, but was unable to fully take it in. Could that mean that this boy can go to alternate dimensions?

"Uh, guys?" Sora asked, puzzled by their expression. "It's nothing." Kirito answered. He wasn't going to assume anything yet, and a look to Asuna told her to do the same thing. "Ok," Sora responded, not even caring. He acted really carefree.

The trio started to walk outside, Yui and Jiminy reuniting with them, and hid themselves away. They gathered up Donald and Goofy, and the group walked out of the gate, through a forest, into a cracked hole, and found themselves in a large town. It looked pretty modern, with tram lines going throughout the town, and there were underground passages too, but they were closed. They walked through the town and up a street.

As they walked through a steel gate, Sora stopped and look around. Kirito and the others looked back at him. "You know, I think I've been to this town." Sora implied. "Really? Then what's its name?" Asuna asked. Sora thought about it for a second, then replied, "Guess I must've imagined it." Sora walked ahead, the others looking confused at him, then followed.

They walked through a curtained door and found themselves inside a rickety little room. It had boxes and stuff just lying around. There were also three kids around Sora's age inside it. A guy with blond hair was sitting on a boiler of some kind. A chubby, black haired boy was leaning back on a box, and a girl with short brown hair was sitting with her hands holding her head up. They all looked either bored or were thinking about something, but they looked as the group walked in.

"What do you want?" asked the blond-haired boy. "Uh, nothing." Sora replied, "Just wondering what was back here." "Well now you know," the guy retorted, "this is our spot." "Sorry about intruding." Asuna said to them.

The black haired boy got up and walked towards them, eyeing them at every angle. "What?" Kirito asked. "Your... new around here, right?" the boy asked as his friends walked next to him. "I'm Pence." "Hayner. Nice to meet you." greeted the blond boy, "But we got stuff to do, so catch ya later."

He walked away as the girl stepped forward. "My name's Olette." she said to them, "Hey, did you finish up the summer homework yet? Independent studies are the worst, huh?" "Homework?" Sora asked, turning to the others, who shook their heads in response, having no idea what they were talking about. In fact, back in Kirito's and Asuna's world, it was early spring.

"Hey, what are your names?" Pence asked them. "Oh, sorry. We're Sora, Donald, Kirito, Asuna, and Goofy." Goofy introduced, each of them bowing in response. "Hey there." Sora greeted. Pence and Olette looked at each other mouths slightly open, then they turned to them again.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, we just met someone who was looking for you." Olette told them. "He sure seemed in a hurry." Pence explained. "He had a black coat on so I couldn't see his face, but he had these big round ears." He drew a circle on each upper corner of his head. Kirito and Asuna looked at the trio, who thought for a while before Donald exclaimed, "The King!" Kirito and Asuna turned to each other in surprise. There was a king?

"Where'd ya see him?" Sora asked. "At the station." Pence responded. "The station! Thanks!" thanked Sora. "Well, we better get back to that assignment." Olette informed, and she walked off. "Later!" said Pence, and he rushed off. The group watched as they took off.

"Oh boy!" exclaimed Donald, "The King's trying to find us!" "You guys know a king?" Asuna asked Goofy. "We sure do," Goofy responded, "Ya see, me and Donald are the King's guards." "Wow, that's pretty important." Kirito stated, "But why are you here instead of protecting the king?" "Oh, don't worry." Donald comforted, "King Mickey is able to defend for himself." "Besides," Goofy added, "We were sent on an important mission before on finding Sora."

Kirito and Asuna looked at Sora. "You're really that important to a king?" Kirito asked. "In a way, yeah!" Sora answered, smiling as he stood up straight, "Now let's go to the station." They all nodded, and they left the shack.

They charged up the hill in a frenzy. Sora, Donald and Goofy were in the lead, Kirito and Asuna were not far behind. Finally, they got to the top, where they saw a tall clocktower with bells hanging on each side, and double-doors at the entrance.

They walked in the open area around it, and stared all around. "No one here." Asuna stated. Kirito squinted his eyes a bit, trying to detect an HP marker, but he soon remembered that they weren't in the game. Oh, how they wished they were, for they had unexpected guests.

**Chapter 2: Battle at the Clock Tower**

Suddenly a monster appeared out of nowhere in front of them. It looked human, except it was white with black stripes, strands instead of hands, and a empty hole into their body in their neck. They had no eyes, nose, ears or mouths. All they had was a strange cross symbol on their head.

More of the monsters appeared, each coming one after another, surrounding them. They moved around as if they were stretchy puppets. Donald summoned his magic staff out, while Goofy summoned his shield. Sora, Kirito and Asuna looked all around at the creatures. Whoever they were, they weren't friendlies.

"Do you have any idea what these things are?" Kirito asked the others as they backed into the center. "Never seen them before." Sora responded. He stared closely at the symbol on top of their heads, and thought it looked familiar. He shook his head and brought out his Keyblade, the Kingdom Key.

"Woah, your sword looks like ours!" Kirito exclaimed, staring at Sora's weapon. "Huh?" said a confused Sora, staring back at them. Kirito and Asuna waved their hands into battle positions, summoning their Keyblades, which surprised the others. "You can use the Keyblades, too?!" Sora asked, shocked by this. "It's a long story." Asuna informed him. Sora stared at them, wondering who these two really were, but he decided the enemies required better focus.

They each charged at the monsters individually. Kirito slashed a few times with his sword on a couple of creatures, and they disintegrated. He stared back at Asuna, who was striking down one of them with her Oathkeeper.

Kirito noticed on the corner of his eye another one creeping up on him. He turned around around and saw, to his astonishment, that it was walking towards him in the air, for it was upside-down. I spun its' whip-like body around, smacking Kirito away. He had just got to the ground when two more appeared, about to strike him. He shielded the attacks with his Oblivion, but he was pinned down.

"_Thunder!_" cried Donald's voice, and forks of lightning came from the sky and shot down onto the white creatures, knocking them back. Kirito got back up to his feet as Donald waddled towards him. "How'd you do that?" He asked the duck. "I'm a sorcerer!" Donald answered, waving his staff in the air.

He saw one of the creatures he knocked back slithering towards him. "_Fire!_" Donald cried, and a fireball came from his staff, hitting the creature and causing it to disintegrate. "Well that's handy." Kirito commented. He saw the other creature come at them, and with one swipe of his sword, defeated the creature. "Still, I enjoy taking them out the old-fashioned way." he told Donald.

As Donald charged into the fight once more, Kirito saw Asuna being protected by Goofy with his shield, then she struck the creatures in front of them. Sora, however, was slicing up the competition, jumping and dodge-rolling when he needed to. His skills were pretty good, and it looked like he has fought for a while.

Kirito noticed three new creatures with the same color coating and cross symbols as the others sneaking up to Sora. They morphed themselves into spears and were about to strike at Sora. Kirito dashed forward at them, and with one swipe, defeated all three at once, surprising Sora. "You're not bad." Sora implied. "No biggie." Kirito implied, "Asuna is pretty good, too." Sora saw how well Asuna was doing as she pierced right through three of the smaller creatures. The two boy noticed more of them closing in on them and they fought once more.

The battle seem to go on for along time, the enemies came one after another, with no end in sight. Finally, Donald and Goofy collapsed in exhaustion as another wave came in. Sora fell on his butt, worn out. Asuna was leaning on her Oathkeeper, trying desperately to stay up. Kirito was breathing heavily, still able to fight, but so worn out, that he didn't know how much longer he could take. He saw the monsters circling them, jumping and swaying as they came in closer. He couldn't fight them all off on his own. Kirito struck at one of them, but saw the other four target each of his friends. He couldn't stop them all at once. He noticed one charge at Sora, and he rushed over to protect him, yelling in desperation. Suddenly, someone came flying down from the top of the tower, with a Keyblade at hand that looked a lot like Sora's, except that his hilt and blade colors were totally reversed. His movements were swift and strong. He struck them all down with one hit each, including the one that he was fighting.

After striking the last two, he stood in one place, his Keyblade stuck out to one side. Kirito and Sora stared at their savior. He was short, with a black coat and a black hood covering him. On his head, Kirito noticed two large, round ears. Sora gasped as he recognized the figure, and so did Donald and Goofy. They toppled on top of Sora as they saw him. "Your Majesty?" Donald asked, causing Kirito and Asuna to stare at one another.

"Shh!" hushed the cloaked king, "You gotta board the train and leave town! The train knows the way." He jumped back, not showing his face to Sora. "Here." he said, holding a small bag full of money to Sora, who took it. The king then looked at Kirito and Asuna, eyeing their Keyblades, then he took off. "Your Majesty!" Donald cried as he went down the street and disappeared from sight.

Kirito put away his weapon as he walked to Asuna and wrapped his arm around her, holding her up. "Boy, that was unpleasant." she sighed, putting her weapon away too. "Makes you wonder why we came here?" Kirito asked, staring at Sora and the others as they talked.

He walked her over to them as they heard Sora say, "Well, I'm gonna look for Riku. Then he and I can go back to the islands together. Kairi's there waiting for us!" "Who're Riku and Kairi?" Kirito asked. "Their great friends of mine." Sora answered, "We've been friends since we were little, especially Riku."

Kirito couldn't help but think about his adopted sister. They have been together for a long time, so he guessed he could understand. He then started to think about all his friends back home. Were they ok? Did they know he disappeared from ALO? Did they worry about them? He turned to Asuna, who looked down, her sad faced told him that she was thinking the same thing. Yui came out of Kirito's pocket and stared at the both of them. "Cheer up, mama, papa." She told them, flying to both heads, "I know it will take some time, but we'll get back home soon." They looked at Yui's determined face, and their expressions lifted. She always had a way of cheering them up.

Sora turned to Donald and Goofy. "So, what are you two gonna do?" he asked them. The two responded by groaning. "Gawrsh, Sora. Do you have to ask?" Goofy moaned.

Kirito and Asuna turned to them and saw the looks on their faces. They looked so funny, that Sora and Asuna couldn't help but laugh. Kirito merely smiled. "Hey! What's so funny?!" Donald squawked, jumping up and down in anger. "Your faces." Sora answered. Both Donald and Goofy looked at each other, seeing each others expressions. All of them started to laugh at each other. Kirito even started to chuckle from all the laughter. _I guess this isn't all that bad._ he thought to himself. _At least I have Asuna and Yui, and these guys aren't so bad either._

"What do you say, guys?" Sora asked, "Let's stick together for one more journey." Donald and Goofy nodded. Sora turned to Kirito and Asuna. "How about you guys?" Sora asked, "Do you want to come along?" Kirito and Asuna looked at each other, and Asuna smiled at Sora. "Sounds good to us." She answered. "It's not like we have anything better to do." Kirito responded, "Let's help you guys out."

"Then let's go!" cheered Sora, punching the air, "To...where again?" "Don't you remember?" Kirito asked bewilderedly, "The king just said to go board the train!" "Oh yeah, right!" Sora remembered. Both Donald and Asuna sighed at Sora's slow wit. "C'mon!" Sora waved to them, and the five character, along with Yui, ran off into the train station.

**Chapter 3: On the Train Ride Over**

The five heroes were about to go to the ticket station when they heard someone. "Wait up!" Sora, Kirito and the others turned to see Hayner, Pence and Olette running to them. "Hey, Sora..." Hayner started to say but he stopped himself. "What?" Sora asked. "Nothing," Hayner replied, "but..." "We came to see you off." Pence told them, "It just seemed like something we oughta do." "Oh," Sora responded, slightly confused, "Really? Thanks!"

Just then, they heard an alarm at the boarding platforms. "You should hurry and get your tickets." Olette informed them. "Right." Sora responded.

He walked up to the ticket booth, and pulled out the pouch that the King gave them. "Huh?" Ollete said, seeing the pouch. "What is it?" Donald asked. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a pouch exactly like the one Sora had. "Their the same." Goofy stated. "Yeah," Ollete responded. "Probably got it at the same store." Asuna assumed. "But that can't be." Pence retorted, "Olette handmade that pouch." "Really?" Asuna asked, puzzled. Kirito thought about that. How could their be two of the same handmade pouch a normal made?

Sora looked at the pouch in his hand, then shrugged it off as a coincidence. He turned to the ticket booth. "Five tickets, please?" he asked. He got the tickets and looked up at the boarding platform above the stairs. Kirito and Asuna also looked up, and noticed a new train up there, a blue one with a star-shaped windows, and decorated with yellow stars and a wizard hat.

"I can't help but feel like we'll never see this town again." Sora said, looking worried. Hayner and his friends looked at him, puzzled. "Why not?" Donald asked. "Your thinking too much." Goofy told him. Sora smiled a bit. "Yeah, your right." he replied. Everyone went up the stairs to the boarding platform. The five heroes looked at the blue train in front of them, and walked up to the door. "Do ya think we have everything we need?" Goofy asked. "I think so." Asuna replied, looking at her pockets and at everyone else, who agreed with her. "Okay, let's go!" Sora declared. The others nodded. Donald and Goofy went into the train. Yui flew into the train as well. All that was left were all the normal people.

Sora, Kirito and Asuna turned to Hayner's gang. "Bye!" Sora said to them. "It was nice knowing you." Asuna said kindly. "You guys take care." Kirito told them. "Yeah, you do the same." Pence replied, shaking hands with Asuna as Kirito shook Olette's hand. Once they let go, Kirito and Asuna walked into the train car.

"Hey, Sora," asked Hayner, "You sure we haven't met before?" Sora thought for a second before responding, "Positive. Why do you ask?" Hayner thought on how to explain, but he couldn't think of one and shook his head. "I dunno." He answered, shrugging.

Sora looked at him, wondering. For some odd reason, they seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out why. He smiled at them, then he let out a tear. Everyone looked at him, surprised. He felt the tear on his face, and wiped it off. "You ok?" Olette asked. "Yeah," Sora responded, smacking his face to set himself straight, "Don't know where that came from." "Pull it together." Hayner told them amusingly.

"Right, see ya!" Sora waved to them and dashed into the train car. Hayner, Pence and Olette watched as the car door closed and the train took off along the track and disappeared. Pence sighed and looked at his friends, who looked sorry to see them go.

Inside the train car, Donald and Goofy were watching through one window, while Asuna, Kirito and Yui sat in the seats opposite to them. Yui falling asleep on them, and Asuna looked half-tired as she rested her head on Kirito's shoulder. Sora was leaning his head on the car door, his thoughts on the three friends they left behind. He pulled out the pouch, and discovered a small blue crystal inside of it. He held it up so he could look through it.

"You know..." Sora started to say, drawing everyone's attention, "...I'm sad." They all look sympathetically at Sora. "We'll be back." Donald reassured him. "Yeah." Goofy agreed, "We can visit Hayner and those guys again." "Your friends are right you know," Kirito told him as Asuna raised her head again, "Keep your chin up, Sora. We'll see them again." Sora looked at them, and smiled at their consideration.

Just then, the sky outside got really bright, and they found themselves going along a shining green train track, surrounded by polar lights and starry skies.

"By the way," Sora said to Kirito and Asuna, trying to change the subject, "How did you guys become Keyblade Wielders?" Donald and Goofy both looked at them, too. They were all intrigued by this. Kirito and Asuna looked at each other, and decided to tell them the full story. Asuna did the explanation, starting with where they came from and the MMO they played, exciting Sora a bit. She then explained about the new quest, the strange new boss, Guard Armor, they had to fight, and the hole they fell through.

"...After that," She continued on, "I found myself waking up on this weird platform in the middle of the darkness, all alone. I also heard a voice that was speaking from who knows where." Kirito realized that she was talking about the same dream he had before. "What it say?" Donald asked. "Well, it put me through a few tests." Asuna answered, "First, I had to choose between three different powers, what to gain and what to lose. I chose the wand, but I gave up the shield." _That would mean that you chose to have magic over defense._ Kirito realized in his mind.

"Next, I had to fight a lot of these weird shadow creatures with the wand." Asuna continued, "Afterwards I fell down, finding myself in a place I've been to before, and three of my friends all asked me certain questions. Finally, I had to fight against a shadowy version of myself. After I fought it, the voice said something about enemies I had to face, along with some 'Door to the Light'." Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at one another, startled because they knew what that was. "After that, I was hit by a blinding light, and the next thing you know, I was waking up in the basement of that mansion with Kirito and Yui."

Asuna turned to Kirito. "I'm guessing you had that same weird dream as I did." She asked him. "Yeah," Kirito answered, "apart from me choosing the sword and giving up the wand in that first trial, everything you said was exactly like mine." "I actually know the dream you're talking about, too." Sora implied, "I had to take it a long time ago." "You did, too?" Kirito asked. This was no coincidence. Did they all become Keyblade wielders because of that dream?

"So, what is this 'ALheim Online' and this 'Sword Art Online' about?" Sora asked, intrigued by these games. "They're special MMO games that you can digitize your mind into." Kirito explained. "SAO came first. It's basically a world of swordplay and combat. In that game, your goal is mainly get to the 100th floor in that world, fighting each boss on every level. It is no easy task to accomplish, though. It takes a lot of leveling to do, along with a lot of teamwork. I'm still on floor 72."

"ALO is the next game," Asuna helped explain, "It's a world of fairies, where you yourself are a fairy, and your goal is to get to the top of the Tree of Life, while at the same time you are facing eight other tribes. You can use magic, still use swordplay, and even fly around with a pair of wings." "Wow!" Sora, Donald and Goofy gasped, all of them interested by these games.

"I would love to try either one." Sora stated. "Well, if we are able to find whoever brought us to this world, maybe you can." Kirito answered, "Trouble is, we don't know who the person's name is, nor what he looks like." Donald and Goofy sighed. "Sorry to hear that." Sora said apologetically. Asuna nodded, looking sad again.

"You see, while your mind is in the online world, your body is pretty much lifeless in the real world." Kirito explained. "When we did SAO, we had to deal with the creator of the game, Kayaba Akihiko, who trapped us in the game for two whole years." "What?!" the trio cried. "Yeah, and our lives pretty much passed throughout the real world." Asuna continued, "While it was fun being in that online world, we were unable to meet with our family, unable to make contact with them. We missed so much time in the real world." She looked down, thinking about that ordeal.

"There were benefits, though." Kirito implied, trying to lighten the mood. "If it hadn't been for the game, I wouldn't have met Asuna nor Yui. I also met many new friends in that world, too. We all spent great times together, despite what was happening." He wrapped his arm around Asuna's shoulder, hugging her.

"Still," Kirito continued, "It was a relief when I managed to beat the game for everyone, freeing most of them from the game." "Ya mean you were the one who saved everyone?" Goofy asked. "Wait, what do you mean 'most'?" Donald asked. Kirito looked at Asuna before continuing, "Well, their was another person, Sugou, who trapped three hundred peoples minds in the other game, ALO. Asuna was one of them." Asuna looked down, fearfully thinking back to that time. "Sugou plan to marry Asuna while she was in her lifeless state back home." Kirito continued, "He was also testing on the three-hundred minds he had locked in the game, trying to create a way to control them, their emotions, their mindset, everything."

"How cruel!" Sora criticized. "Yeah, and you know I couldn't let him get away with that." Kirito told them. "So I went into that game, and joined forces with Yui and another player, who I found out later was my adopted sister, Suguha. We went through the world, climbed our way to the top of the Tree of Life, reunited with Asuna, fought Sugou both in the online and real world and defeated him in both places, and rescued everyones minds. Afterwards, we were able to recreate ALO and SAO together, and now it is a game that is fun again."

"You guys really had your work cut out for you." Sora implied. "Yeah, only now our minds have taken from the online world and into an alternate dimension." Kirito told them. "We want to get back home as soon as possible, before our friends and family worry." Asuna nodded in agreement.

"Well, if you guys want to get back home again, then I'm up to helping you guys out!" Sora told them. Both Donald and Goofy smiled and nodded in agreement. Both Kirito and Asuna stared at their new friends. They were willing to help them out, despite how farfetched their story was, or how near impossible it was to accomplish. They both smiled softly at them. "Thanks, everyone." They said together. They all giggled together, waking Yui up from her sleep.

Just then, a blinding light came from outside, and the sky changed again. They looked and they felt the train come slowly to a halt. All of them went to the front door of the car. The door opened, and they found themselves staring at an area that was floating in the air, with large bushes scattered all around, and the strangest-looking tower that Kirito, Sora and Asuna had ever seen before.

They walked out, Donald and Goofy walking out in front, followed by Kirito, Asuna and Yui, who dove into Kirito's pocket, and Sora brought up the rear. They hadn't walked a few steps before they turn to see the train disappear in a glittering white light. "Where'd it go?" Kirito asked. Sora chuckled nervously. "There goes our ride..." he said. He looked at Kirito and Asuna, who were thinking the same thing; how were they gonna get back home? They turned to the tower and walked to the entrance, seeing somebody there.

**Chapter 4: Battle against the "Mighty" Pete**

Sora led the group over to the entrance, where they saw someone peering into the door. He was a big fat guy, but he looked tough. He was wearing some sort of black, dark red and blue uniform. They couldn't see his face as it was looking into the crack of the door.

"What's goin' on?" Donald asked. The big guy chuckled. "I just sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this here tower's as big and tough as they say. Word is, he's a real powerful sorcerer, which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See. don't matter how tough he is; once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say!" "A Heartless?!" Donald shrieked as he, Sora and Goofy got into fighting positions. "Heartless?" asked Kirito and Asuna, puzzled.

"That's right." the guy said ominously, "They're those things that come outta the darkness in folks' hearts. Why, with all those Heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything!" Kirito and Asuna realized from what he said that him and this person, Maleficent, were not good people. "And since I got me a debt to pay," the guy continued, "I'm goin' 'round to a bunch of different worlds and buildin' an army of Heartless, special for her."

He then changed his tone as he said, "Oh, why am I talkin' to you pipsqueaks anyway? Go on, scram! I'm behind schedule as it is." The five heroes looked at each other before Goofy stated, "You oughta find somethin' nicer to do." "Oh ho, say who?" he asked, turning to their crowd. His face was dog like, but a different breed than Goofy. He was startled at their crowd. "Wha...AAAH! It's you!" he said sternly. "Pete?!" Both Donald and Goofy said together.

"What are you two nimrods doin' here?!" the guy asked angrily. "What are you doing here?" Donald asked back. "You know him?" Sora asked Goofy, Kirito and Asuna both looking at Goofy too. "We sure do!" Goofy answered, "Pete's been causin' trouble for ages! His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago. I wonder how he escaped?" "He was different dimension?!" Kirito asked, surprised. Could this King of theirs actually open up worlds to different dimensions?

Pete boastfully laughed at them. "You wanna know how, eh?" he asked them, "Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how! And now, your world, no, no, no, all the worlds, are gonna belong to yours truly. Cause, uh, Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em!"

"Maleficent, huh?" Sora repeated. Both he, Donald and Goofy started to laugh. Kirito and Asuna looked confused at their reaction. "What are you laughing at?!" Pete asked mischievously, "Why, Maleficent's power is so great that..." "She's toast." Sora interrupted him, startling Pete. "Sorry, but Maleficent can't help ya now." Goofy told him. "What do you mean?" Pete asked as Donald continued to laugh, and then it clicked, "You! So you're the ones that did it!" "Well, we mighta had something to do with it." Sora said sarcastically. "I'm guessing that you guys must have dealt with this Maleficent character before." Asuna assumed. "Yep, we sure did." Goofy eagerly responded.

Pete started to rage up as he called out, "Heartless Squad, round up!" Just then, a bunch of the same shadowy creatures that Kirito and Asuna had dealt with before appeared from the ground, all of them coming out in front of them. "So these things were Heartless?" Asuna asked as they pulled out their weapons. "Let's get them guys!" Sora declared, about to pull out his Keyblade. However, Kirito walked out in front of them. "Sora, everyone, stay back." he warned them, staring at the horde of Heartless before them, "I got these."

Kirito summoned his Oblivion and started to slice and dice angrily at all of the creatures before him. He sent them flying into the air, where they disappeared in a puff of smoke. They were dropping coins on the ground as they disappeared.

"Man, Kirito's crazy." Sora stated as he watched him taking them out one by one. "Kirito tends to go solo quite a bit." Asuna informed them, "It's one of his bad habits. Still, he does that because he doesn't like it when other people get hurt." "Well, at least his heart's in the right place." Sora said as Kirito slammed dunked an airborne Heartless to the ground with his Keyblade.

He defeated all of the Heartless easily and without much effort. He turned to Pete, who moved away from the tower entrance. Pete looked angrily at him. "You just wait!" he warned the group, "Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the mighty Pete!" "So, "mighty" Pete," Kirito said sarcastically, "who lives in this tower, anyway?" "Oh, ya don't know, eh?" Pete said amusingly, "Well, it's old Yen Sid. 'Course, he's probably a Heartless by now!" "Master Yen Sid lives here?!" Donald exclaimed in surprise, then he dashed towards the entrance and opened the door so he could go in.

"Who's Yen Sid?" Asuna asked Goofy. "Yen Sid is the King's teacher!" Goofy answered. "Wow, sounds powerful!" Sora said. Asuna thought back to how the King saved them from those weird monsters. If he was that good, imagine how strong his teacher is.

She followed Sora and Goofy inside, who picked up all the Munny on the ground. She turned to see Kirito and Pete staring at each other, Kirito's Keyblade still out. "Kirito, let's go!" she called out to him. Kirito eyed Pete for a second, wondering if he should just fight him right now. Finally, he decided it wasn't worth the trouble, and walked to the others, putting his Oblivion away. He turned to see Pete pouting as they left, then he closed the door behind him. "That guy is definitely a sore loser." Kirito pointed out. The laughed together as this joke.

**Chapter 5: Yen Sid and DiZ's Reason**

They looked up and saw the interior of the tower. There were staircases spiraling up the tower, but they didn't all connect with one another. From where the staircases ended, a door was placed, but it didn't lead into any rooms from the outside view. "Looks like we have a long way to go." Sora moaned. The trio started to walk up the stairs, Kirito and Asuna bringing up the rear.

As they went up the stairs, they encountered a few of the Heartless that Pete must have sent inside, but they defeated them easily. They entered through the door hanging in the air, and found themselves in a room. Kirito and Asuna were absolutely confused as to how this worked, but Donald simply said it was Yen Sid's magic. They fought against a bunch of Heartless inside the room and progressed on.

They went up the stairs and went through another door, where Kirito and Asuna were introduced to a new kind of Heartless. Their faces were like the Heartless, for which Sora called them Shadows, but they stood up straight and wore armor. Sora said they were called 'Soldiers, and they were a bit tougher. However, they were no match for the group.

After defeating the second room of Heartless, they grouped together again. "Heartless, Heartless, Heartless!" Donald complained, "Things haven't changed one bit!" "Why?" Kirito asked, "Are these things not suppose to be around anymore?" He looked at Sora, who shrugged. "Well, it's a good thing we're on the job, then." Goofy said optimistically.

"So the worlds aren't at peace after all?" Sora asked the duo. He turned to the door that led onward. "What do you mean by that?" Asuna asked them. "Well, we actually stopped a group of bad guys from stealing the hearts of the Princesses of Light before." Goofy explained, "We sealed up the Door to the Darkness, and saved a bunch of worlds." "Wow, sounds to me like you guys had to deal with just as much trouble as us." Asuna stated.

Kirito was also interested in their story, but didn't think about asking them. All he was interested was finding out who was responsible for bringing him and Asuna here. He and Sora simultaneously led the group onward through the door. They arrived at another staircase, but it was a straight path to the next door. They went straight to it, after defeating a bunch of Heartless that impeded them. Donald and Goofy went in first, the others followed. Inside was a simple room with bookshelves and pots here and there. At the far end was a wooden table for which Donald and Goofy faced, standing tall and with authority.

As the trio of humans walked over, they saw both Donald and Goofy bow before the man sitting at the table. The three stared at the man before them. From what Kirito read in books about wizards, this guy absolutely fit the part. The blue robe, the long gray beard, even the blue pointy hat, decorated with stars and moons. This man was definitely a wizard.

"Master Yen Sid!" Donald said, "It's an honor!" "Hey there." Sora said without a sign of courtesy. Donald and Goofy snapped their heads up to Sora, shocked by his attitude. "Sora! Show some respect!" scolded Donald. Sora rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. Kirito and Asuna, not wanting to make the same mistake, bowed to Yen Sid as well. "It's very nice to meet you, sir." Asuna said. "Likewise," Kirito agreed.

Yen Sid waved his hands, not caring about the formalities. "So, you are Sora." he said in a deep voice, "And you two must be Kirito and Asuna." Kirito and Asuna went straight up again, surprised. "You know about us?" Kirito asked. Yen Sid nodded. "I have been told by a friend of mine about two young heroes from a different world that he brought over to this dimension, believing that you might be able to aid in Sora's quest." "Wait, you know who brought us here?" Kirito asked abruptly stepping in front of the others and placing his hands on the table. Yen Sid nodded in response. "Then tell us, who was it?" He asked angrily as Asuna walked up next to him, "I want to know why he brought us here, and demand to know how we can get back home?!" "We have friends and family who care for us." Asuna added courteously, "They'll worry about us if we don't come back home again." "Do not worry about that." Yen Sid told them, "I assure you that the man you seek will meet you when the time is right."

This didn't improve Kirito's attitude, who was already determined to get back home. He slammed his fists on the table, making Sora, Donald and Goofy jump. "I don't care about what he thinks!" he growled, "I just want us to go home. If there is a good reason why he brought us here with no returning back, then I'd like a really good explanation!" Donald and Goofy were grabbing and restraining each of Kirito's arms. Being a man of high authority, they believed what Kirito was doing to Yen Sid was more than disrespectful, it was down right rude. "Kirito, take it easy." Asuna said to him. Yui went up to him and tried to calm him down.

Finally, Yen Sid waved his hands, silencing them. "I am able to explain all that he has told me." he stated, "The man you seek goes by the name of DiZ. He told me about your world, and what role you play in that world. He saw you two specifically as important roles to that world." Kirito and Asuna didn't make a response to that. "He believed that you two could be strong enough to stop the looming evil that is about to come forth. What he also expected was that you two could possibly be Keyblade Wielders, too."

Asuna and Kirito looked at each other for a second, then Asuna raised her hand and produced her Oathkeeper. "You mean he knew we would have these?" she asked. "It was a hypothesis he made," Yen Sid continued, "And it seems to be right." Kirito freed his arms from Donald and Goofy, and produced his Oblivion. "So why did he want us?" he asked, "I mean, having these are pretty interesting, but I don't understand why he wants us of all people to help? Surely, Sora and his friends are strong enough to face this trouble without us." Sora eagerly smiled as he was addressed so highly from Kirito. "DiZ did not disregard Sora's strength." Yen Sid reassured them, "He only noticed people that were more than likely able to aid in his quest, so he decided to bring you to this dimension to as to see if he was right." "So we are basically his test subjects." Kirito promptly said, ticked off that he was in such a situation again. Asuna and Yui held him tightly so he wouldn't rage again, though Asuna did look angry that she was being treated in such a manner.

Yen Sid saw this as an opportunity, and turned to Sora, Donald and Goofy. "Now then, have you seen the King yet?" he asked them. "Yes, we did, Master." Goofy answered, "But we didn't get a chance to talk to him." "Yes...the King has been quite busy of late." Yen Sid muttered, "Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you five falls upon my shoulders." Kirito stopped struggling as he and Asuna stared at the old wizard.

"You have a perilous journey ahead of you." Yen Sid warned them, "You must be well prepared." "You mean, we have to go on another quest?" Sora asked, looking somewhat upset, "I was looking forward to finding my friend Riku, so we could go back to the islands." Kirito understood Sora's feelings, though he was not looking for a friend. "Yes, I know." Yen Sid told them, "However, everything in your journey, Sora, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the islands, whether you will return alone or with your friend, and whether or not the islands will still be there. And the key that connects them all is you Sora." "I'm the key?" Sora asked.

Yen Sid turned to Kirito and Asuna. "This goes the same for the two of you." he told them, "Whether you are able to go back to your world again, whether you will reunite with your friends and family, and whether your world will be there again or not all depends on what you do." Kirito and Asuna looked at each other, very perplexed at what he was saying, then they looked at Sora, who held his hand out and produced his Keyblade.

"Chosen wielders of the Keyblade!" Yen Sid announced, "You are the keys that will open the door to light." Kirito saw Sora nod, then he turned to Asuna, who looked troubled, but nodded as well. Kirito thought for a second, then he nodded too. Yen Sid looked at both Donald and Goofy, who stood straight up again and nodded in unison.

Yen Sid waved his hand in front of the table, and a book magically appeared there. "This book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey." He told them, magically levitating the book towards the gang's side of the table. "Study it carefully. Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront."

The five of them gathered together and read the three parts of the book; 'The Beginning', 'Interlude", and 'The Future Story'. They were confusing words and made little sense. However, they read all of it down the last word. Afterwards, they closed the book and looked up at Yen Sid. He was about to tell them about the enemies.

**Chapter 6: The Nobodies and New Garments**

Sora still had more questions to ask Yen Sid. "But wait a sec," he said, "how come the Heartless are still running around?" Goofy and Donald also wanted to know. "Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness, make no mistake about that." Yen Sid reassured them, "However, the Heartless are darkness made real, and darkness yet lingers in every heart. The Heartless are fewer. But while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

The three of them slumped, feeling let-down. Kirito and Asuna could see how upset they were feeling. Suddenly, Goofy had an inspiration. "Gawrsh, that must mean that if everybody's heart was full of light, them Heartless'd go away!" Both Donald and Sora agreed in his words. "That's not gonna be an easy thing to accomplish." Kirito said bluntly. "Still," Asuna cut in, "it's worth trying out. Besides, it's the best idea we have to defeating the Heartless." Yen Sid nodded in agreement.

"Now, it is time to speak of the enemies that you will encounter." the wizard said to them. He waved his hand, and on the far end of the room, a bright circle appeared, and a duplicate of Donald Duck appeared out of it. Suddenly, the duplicate vanished, and a Shadow appeared in its' place. "If one such as you, Donald, yields to the darkness in their heart, they too will become a Heartless." Yen Sid warned them, "But you know this." The others acknowledged. Donald looked at where his duplicate was at before. Kirito suddenly remembered his nightmares, where his friends turned into and turned into the Heartless as well. Was that what those dreams meant? Was that gonna happen to him and his friends and family, should they be swayed by the darkness? He turned to Asuna, who looked worried as she heard this new info.

"The Heartless are always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts." Yen Sid explained, "Never let your guard down! Now then..." He waved his hand again, and another bright circle appeared, and in it was a monster just like the ones that attacked them at the clock tower. "At times, if someone with a strong heart and will, be they evil or good, becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own." Yen Sid informed them. The circle with the Heartless disappeared as he continued, "An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away, a spirit that goes on even as its body fades from existence. For you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse; they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!" "Nobodies..." Sora muttered sorrowfully, "They don't exist." "They sure hurt like they exist." Kirito said sarcastically, remembering how they attacked them.

Suddenly, three more of them appeared close to the five heroes, startling them. "Now then," Yen Sid continued, "the being you see before you is known as a Dusk. They are the most common form of Nobody. But there are others; some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. Be vigilant!" Everyone turned to Yen Sid and nodded. "On your journey," he continued, "you will meet an alarming number of Dusks. They will all attempt to do you harm." "Don't remind us." Asuna moaned, also thinking of the battle before.

The three Nobodies disappeared as Yen Sid continued, "Still, they are nothing but empty shells, destined to return to darkness. But..." He waved his hand again, and three more bright circles appeared, containing human-like figures in black coats, with black hoods that covered their faces. All five heroes were startled at there appearance. "The beings before you now are different." Yen Sid told them, "These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Organization XIII. It commands the lesser Nobodies." "Organization XIII..." Sora repeated, something in his face said that they seemed familiar to him. He looked at Donald, Goofy, Kirito and Asuna, wondering if they knew who they were. They all shook their heads one after another.

"While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner." Yen Sid explained to them as they turned to him, "They can think and plan, and it seems they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, we do not know." The five heroes looked at each other, wondering what kind of goal it was. "The King sensed the danger, and journeyed forth to fight it." Yen Sid continued, "He found the dark realm's Keyblade, and with it, closed the door. Now he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless as he seeks the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII."

The three cloaked figures disappeared behind them. "Then I guess we better go find the King first!" Sora stated, both Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement. "And while were at it, find that DiZ character so we can go back home again!" Kirito added, Asuna nodding in agreement with him. "But where could they be?" Donald asked. "Well, we won't know 'til we look." Goofy answered. "Yeah, and the King must know where Riku is, 'cause the two of them were together in the realm of darkness when we closed the door. You know, after defeating Ansem."

"Sounds like we got another adventure on our hands." Asuna said as she attempted to smile at Kirito, who was lost in thought. Was this what DiZ was after when he brought them to this world? True, if they defeat this Organization, then that would be one less threat people had to deal with. While this is not their world, and he really wanted to go back home, he couldn't just abandon his friends in a time of need such as this. In fact, maybe his dreams were telling him to stop that catastrophe from happening. He looked at Asuna and he concluded, "Let give these guys a hand. We'll take down this Organization XIII first, then we'll find DiZ and go back home. Sound good?" Asuna nodded, looking like she knew he was gonna say that. Kirito and Sora made eye contact, and they smiled at each other. Seemed like maybe Kirito would give up his solo act for a while.

"So," Yen Sid said, drawing their attention, "before you go, you will need more suitable traveling clothes." He looked at Sora as he said, "Those look a bit too small for you." He then looked at Kirito and Asuna as he said, "And yours should be better improved as you journey throughout the different dimension." All three of them looked at their attire, wondering what was wrong about them. "Through there," Yen Sid continued, acknowledging the side door, "you'll find three good fairies. If you ask, they'll create appropriate garments for all of you."

"Gawrsh, Sora," said Goofy, "you sure are growing fast." "Uh, I guess..." Sora responded, chuckling in embarrassement. "Do we really need new attire?" Kirito asked, "They work well for traveling and combat." "True, but they probably don't work for different dimensions." Asuna pointed out. "Besides, I wouldn't mind a new look. These clothes are getting a bit old-fashioned." Kirito sighed, but he agreed with Asuna, all except for the old-fashioned part. "You think I'll get a new look if I ask properly?" Yui asked them as she flew up to their head level. "Maybe," Asuna answered, giggling.

They all entered the side door, where they saw three short women with the same gowns, capes and hats, but they were red, blue and green each. Their names were Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather They were huddled together with their backs turned to the group, talking to each other. "Me, you guys, Riku, and the King." Sora said, "I don't care who this Organization is or what it's planning. With the seven of us- I mean, eight of us- there's nothing to worry about. Right?" "Yeah!" Donald agreed. Kirito counted off the people he said, and he came up with seven of them. Unless Sora was talking about either Jiminy or Yui, he had no idea who the eighth person was.

All five of them walked towards the three women, drawing their attention. "Well, look who's here, dear!" Flora said, "Sora, Donald and Goofy! And I even see a couple of new faces!" She looked at the other two. "I'm Kirito," he introduced himself, "and this is Asuna." Asuna curtsied when she was being introduced. "It is very nice to meet the both of you." Flora responded, smiling at the two. "Ooh, if your looking for clothes, you've come to the right place!" Merryweather stated as she and Flora brought Sora, Kirito and Asuna forward, Yui floated next to Donald and Goofy.

"I'll do the designing!" Fauna declared, waving her wand, and suddenly the three's clothing became green. "Oh, that will never do!" huffed Merryweather, waving her wand, making their clothes blue. "Now, now, dears." scorned Flora, turning their clothes red. "But don't you like this better?" asked Fauna, making their clothes green again. "Hold on!" said Flora, turning the clothes red again. "Are you certain?" asked Fauna, changing the color to green. "Blue!" cried Merryweather, making their clothes blue again.

On and on they changed the color of the clothes several times. Kirito, board of all the color changing, looked up and saw a raven stare at them beadily before taking off. Finally, Asuna cried, "Enough of this already!" "Aww, would you just decide?" Sora asked mournfully. All three fairies realized what they were doing and looked at each other, somewhat embarrassed. "All right, then." said Flora, "Together now, dears. And no more squabbling!" The three of them waved their wands in unison, and all three Keyblade Wielders uniforms glowed brightly and transformed.

Sora's garments were somewhat like Sora's old outfit, but it was baggy. His vest was black silver-lined, with yellow straps and was unzipped. It also included a black hoodie on the back. His short-sleeved shirt underneath was red and dark blue, and had silver outlines. His black and dark blue pants had more legging, and he had red bags on either leg, held by yellow straps. His shoes were big, black and yellow, and had straps that crossed it every which-way. He had on fingerless gloves which had studs on the back of them, and wrist-long sleeves. Finally, he wore his chain necklace with the crown on it.

Asuna's garments had some of the appearance of her original SAO outfit, but with several changes. Her top was about the same, but it was white with a blue and silver outline, and the center part of her uniform was a light blue with red outline underneath. The chest part was blue, with two pink, intersecting belts over her chest, and a silver heart connecting them, and yellow straps that wrapped around her neck. She wore white and blue-lined fingerless gloves, with sleeves that reached above her elbows. Instead of a skirt, she now wore black shorts. Her cape became two strips of blue cloth that draped over either side of her hip, with a smaller blue strip hanging in the back. Her shoes were black and red, with silver armor pieces.

Kirito's attire was also somewhat like his SAO outfit, with some changes. He wore a gray and and dark brown high-collared shirt. His trench coat was still black and silver-lined, but it became knee-long, has a side pocket for Yui, and golden shoulder pads. He also wore two dark red intersecting straps across his chest. He wore a black belt with a silver buckle. His pants became slacks, and were brown. He also wore black fingerless gloves with elbow high sleeves and golden wrist guards. He wore a brown and gold piece of armor on his right forearm. His shoes were like his old, only black with dark brown stripe down the middle and dark brown straps, with silver buckles and golden toe-guards. Finally, he wore a necklace with what looked like a mini version of his Elucidator hilt.

Each of them looked themselves over, seeing the changes. "Oh, my!" gasped Flora. "Ooh, their lovely." said Fauna. "Oh, yes! They all do look very dashing." praised Merryweather, who looked more at Asuna's, which had the most blue. "Wow!" cried Yui, circling the three of them, "Sora, mama, papa, you look so amazing!" The three of them looked at each other's new looks and smiled at one another. Then each of them produced their individual Keyblade.

"Now, those aren't ordinary garments." Flora told them. "Each of them have very special powers." Fauna explained. Flora waved her wand, and a bright red orb appeared in front of both Sora and Kirito. "Take the orbs, dear." Fauna asked, "And watch what happens." They each touched the orb, and they went into their bodies.

Suddenly, they were lifted off their feet and their clothes let out a burst of energy, and suddenly their clothes transformed. "Woah!" Goofy, Donald and Yui said in unison. Their clothes changed color to a more red color, and they had new patterns on their shoulders and leggings. What was more startling was that they were wielding two Keyblades now.

Both Sora and Kirito looked themselves over, and saw the extra Keyblade, which startled them. "Woah!" Sora gasped, seeing his new weapon. "Wow!" Donald and Yui said together. "Two Keyblades!" Goofy pointed out. "A Dual Wield Form! Perfect!" Kirito stated, seeing his new Keyblade, which looked like a cross between a sword and a gun, decorated with lion-like figures on his key and chain. "This journey's gonna be twice as difficult as your last." Merryweather said to Sora, who already looked worn out at the thought.

"Why don't I have one?" Asuna asked, looking jealous as she saw the boys in their new looks. "Your garments also have other powers," Flora answered, "but you will have to discover what they are as you continue on your journey." Asuna nodded in response, though deep inside she wanted to find her powers now. "Ok, I'll do my best. And thanks a lot!" thanked Sora.

"I wonder what these new Keyblades are called?" Kirito asked as he looked at both his and Sora's new Keyblades. Yui looked at the Keyblades, and gasped. "What is it?" Donald asked her. "I don't know." Yui answered, "But somehow, I know what they are." "How do you know?" Goofy asked her. "I guess maybe that during the transfer over between dimensions, my memory system was given new info through DiZ's computer system." Yui assumed as she closed her eyes, "Yes, now that I think about it, I know a lot of new things I didn't know before. Worlds, items, even the Keyblades." She turned to Sora as she said, "Your new Keyblade is called the Star Seeker, and yours, papa..." she turned to Kirito, "...is called the Sleeping Lion." "Sleeping Lion, huh?" Kirito asked, looking at his new sword.

"Oh, and there's something else for you," Fauna told them, "from Master Yen Sid." "Oh boy!" Donald cheered as he and Goofy looked at each other. Sora and Kirito's clothes glowed brightly once more, and reverted back to normal. "Then let's get going." Kirito said, and as Yui dived into Kirito's pocket, they walked back to the main room.

**Chapter 7: Departing to a New Adventure**

As they went back to the main room, they saw Yen Sid standing at the moon-shaped window. He turned as they came in and beckoned them in. Looking out the window, they saw something red and yellow with blue dome windows float outside the window. Kirito thought that it looked like a rocket ship of some sort.

"Hey! It's the Gummi Ship!" Donald proclaimed. The five of them dashed to the window to take a better look at the ship before them. "So what is this thing suppose to do?" Kirito asked the other three. "Its' our vessel that we use to travel to different worlds." Goofy answered. Seeing as it was Kirito's and Asuna's first time seeing an actual spaceship, they were extremely surprised by its' appearance.

"So you guys ready to go?" Sora asked the group. All of them nodded, then they turned to Yen Sid, standing up straight in a line, Kirito and Asuna following them a few seconds later. "Now, now, just a moment." Yen Sid said to them, causing them to slump slightly, "Because of your previous endeavors..." he spoke to Sora, Donald and Goofy as he said that, "...the worlds have returned to their original states. That means the pathways between them have disappeared." "You mean, we can't just go straight to them?" Asuna asked. She stared at Kirito, who shrugged.

"How do we get around?" Donald asked as the trio slumped in despair. "Do not fear." Yen Sid reassured them, "If what the King suspected proves true, the worlds have prepared new pathways along which you may travel. These pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. How these gates are opened, I'm afraid I do not know. However, the Keyblade will serve as your guide."

The three Keyblade wielders looked at each other as Yen Sid continued, "When a beam of light radiates from the Keyblade, return to the Gummi Ship. Though the worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, they nonetheless remain connected by invisible ties. As do the hearts." "Our hearts are connected." Sora repeated. "That is correct." Yen Sid answered. Kirito placed his hand on his chest. He wondered if maybe his heart can reach out to all of his friends and family right now. "Got it!" Sora understood.

"But be warned." Yen Sid warned them, "As you proceed, the Heartless and the Nobodies will be using their own paths: Corridors of darkness, to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these dark pathways to the gates between the worlds." "Hey! That's not fair!" squawked Donald, placing a fist into his hand. Yen Sid nodded in agreement. "Now then, that is all the information I can give to you." he finished, "Go forth, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, and Asuna. Everyone is waiting."

"Okay, let's get going!" Sora said to them. He turned to Kirito and Asuna, who suspected what he was thinking. "Don't worry," Kirito assured him, "We may want to go home, but we also can't let these Heartless and Nobodies have their own way." "Besides," Asuna added, "who's to say they could find a way to our world. That would put both dimensions in jeopardy." Sora understood what they meant. "So let's defeat this Organization XIII," Kirito said, placing a hand out in front of him, Sora and Asuna, "Well defeat them for good, and then we can worry about getting back home." Asuna and Sora both placed their hands on top of Kirito's along with Goofy, Donald, and Yui and Jiminy jumped out to add in theirs as well.

They then once again stood upright in a line as they faced Yen Sid. "Master Yen Sid!" said Donald. "We sure do appreciate the help." Goofy stated as they all saluted him. They all dashed out of the main room, down the stairs and out the door entrance. Kirito noticed that Pete was no longer there anymore. He and the others looked up and saw the Gummi Ship above them.

Suddenly, a beam of light came from the ship, and landed on top of them. The light grew brighter around them, and suddenly they found themselves inside the Gummi Ship. Kirito had seen a couple of sci-fi shows involving space ships, and the interior definitely fit the part. The ship had three seats in it. Apparently, someone didn't expect extra help. "Sorry," Sora said apologetically as he, Donald and Goofy took their seats, "I don't know where to find extra seats for you." "It's ok," Kirito responded, leaning against one of the walls, "We can just sit back as you guys take control." "Sounds ok to me." Asuna said, sitting with her back to the wall and sighing deeply. "Ok then, let's go!" Sora declared as Donald took control. The ship soared up into the air, and into the starry sky.

To Kirito and Asuna, they have been through a lot of ordeals, but they have never been through something like this before. They knew that a lot of people back home were missing them, but they knew that if they didn't stop this new threat, then who knows what will happen. They were still ticked off that they were brought here without their say so, but still, with Sora, Donald and Goofy, they knew that this new adventure would be, for once, fun and exciting.

**Well, that's another episode down. What did you think about my idea on Yui being the person to explain all the equipment and stuff? Kind of though of that off the fly. Also, if you want to see both Kirito and Asuna in their KH attire, look them up at my Deviant Art link on my profile. Thanks for your support, and I hope to get the next one done soon.**


	4. Jiminy's Journal 1: Kirito, Asuna & Yui

**Someone wanted a request for me to add SAO members to Jiminy's Journal, so here's the first three.**

_Kirito: A boy from a different dimension that was chosen by the Keyblade._

_His real name is Kazuto Kirigaya. He comes from a game called 'Sword Art Online', and has saved thousands of lives from being trapped in that game, with the aid of many of his friends, including Asuna. He now has been sent to our dimension by a man named DiZ, and was mysteriously made as a Keyblade wielder._

_Now, with a new outfit, he joins Sora, Donald and Goofy in order to find the mysterious man that brought him, Asuna and Yui here, while at the same time aiding Sora in his quest._

_Asuna: A girl from a different dimension that was chosen by the Keyblade._

_Her full name is Asuna Yuuki. She comes from a game called 'Sword Art Online', and has aided Kirito in saving thousands of lives from being trapped in that game. Now, she had been sent to our dimension by a man named DiZ, and was mysteriously made as a Keyblade wielder._

_With her new garments, she joins Sora, Donald and Goofy in order to find the man that brought her, Kirito and Yui here, while helping out Sora in his quest._

_Yui: AI of 'Sword Art Online', as well as 'daughter' to both Asuna and Kirito._

_Her former role in SAO was a Mental Health Counseling Program. In ALO, she is a Navigation Fairy for Kirito._

_When she was sent to this dimension, she was given new knowledge about it thanks to the data on DiZ's computer, but she also became a real being. She is now the Info Manager for Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito and Asuna._


	5. Ep 3: Hollow Bastion! Organization XIII

**Prologue**

"My goodness! What's that?" Merryweather asked. At the table next to the window, a crow was there, standing on top of a black and purple gown. It cawed at the three fairies as it carried the gown closer and dropping it onto the ground before them. The crow hopped himself off of it so the three fairies would be able to see it better.

Flora, Fauna and Merryweather all looked closely at the gown. "Haven't we seen this somewhere before?" Merryweather asked the other two. "Yes, dear." Fauna answered, "I wonder whose it was?"

Merryweather gasped as she remembered. "Oh, Malefi-" she started to say, but she covered her mouth. "No! We mustn't remember her name!" Flora warned her, but she too knew her name, "Oh dear.." "She was a mean ol' witch." Merryweather said, panicking as she started to remember her, "Oh, no! The memories are coming back! What'll we do?! Ooh, what'll we do?!"

Suddenly, the gown started to float slightly off the ground. To be more precise, someone was magically appearing in the gown. All three fairies gasped and spoke in horror as it was happening. "Perhaps we should tell Master Yen Sid." Fauna suggested. "Yes." agreed Flora, "That's what we must do. Hurry!"

As Flora and Fauna ran out the door and turned small, Merryweather watched as the figure in the black gown finally made her appearance, standing upright. "Maleficent!" she cried, following the other two and turning small.

The figure stood there in the room, feeling herself as she came back to life. The gown covered her from head to foot as she stood there. She had pale skin, black fingernails, and was carrying a long wooden rod with a lime green orb on top. The gown made fringes on her neck, and made it look like she had horns on her head. She had black pupils and yellow retinas.

She looked around the room, producing an evil grin. She then started to cackle madly, eagerly happy she was revived. Maleficent, the witch of darkness, had risen again.

**Chapter 1: The Gummi Ship Ride**

Up into space, the Gummi ship was hovering close to the world where Yen Sid's tower was at. Kirito and Asuna looked up into the starry space. Kirito couldn't help but think about his cousin Suguha, who always dreamt of flying to the moon. She would be extremely jealous if she found out where they were at.

Meanwhile, Yui was looking all over at the control panel. Being from inside a computer system, she found this 'outside view' on how things work very unusual, but she believed that she could handle it. Goofy was explaining to her what do each part of the panel do.

Just then, a video screen popped up at the front, and two chipmunks with yellow overalls could be seen inside a control system. Over the voice communicator, their two squeaky voices could be heard. "Howdy, Sora!" said one voice. "How ya doin'?" "Chip? Dale? Is that you?" Sora asked eagerly as he leaned into the screen. "You betcha!" the second voice replied, "It's your favorite Gummi engineers here, ready for duty: Chip..." "...and Dale!" finished the second voice.

"Great to see ya again." Sora greeted them, "Hey, we have a couple of new friends joining with us on our adventure." He ushered Kirito, Asuna and Yui in so they could be better seen. "These are my new friends; Kirito, Asuna and Yui." Sora introduced them, "Kirito and Asuna are both Keyblade wielders! Isn't that awesome?!" "Wow, three Keyblade wielders?" Chip asked excitedly. "This will make the missions three times faster!" squeaked Dale, "Wait till Queen Minnie hears about this!" "But in the mean time," said Chip, "Nice ta' meet you guys, and..." "Happy flying!" they chimed as they jumped into the air.

The screen reverted itself to a digital map of the worlds. "Well, those guys seem cheerful." Asuna commented. "But are those chipmunks really engineers to this ship?" Kirito asked, finding it hard to believe those guys could do such a feet, "I swear to you, this is looking more like one of the online games."

They all looked at the map on the main screen, and only saw one world that was capable of being traveled too. "Only one?" complained Sora. "That's no good!" Donald stated. Yui, who got the hang of the control panel, started to type away at it. "It seems like the other worlds are still incapable of coming in contact with." she explained to them, "I hazard at a guess that maybe if we unlock the gate that is located in this world, that should lead us to more worlds." "Wow, Yui!" Sora said in amazement, "You're understanding all of that so easily." "Well, she was previously an AI for 'Sword Art Online'." Asuna stated, rubbing the top of Yui's head with a finger, which made her giggle. "Yeah, she was a Mental Health Counseling Program." Kirito explained, "She is very knowledgable about computers and people." "Gee, that's very handy!" Donald complimented her, "The Gummi ship runs on happy faces, so no frowning here." "So I just got to keep people happy?" Yui asked, "Sounds simple enough, especially with all of you guys." Everyone laughed at her kindness.

"Wait!" exclaimed Goofy, "I think it's a world we know!" "It is?" Kirito asked. "Then what are we waiting for?" Sora asked, "Lets go!" With Goofy at the controls, he set the coordinates into the autopilot system, and the ship took them to the new world. It took a few hours, during the time, Kirito, Asuna and Yui got some shut-eye. Unlike Sora, Donald and Goofy, they didn't rest for a long time, so they thought it was best to sleep when they had the chance.

"They're sleeping like logs." Donald stated after an hour, seeing them resting next to each other. "Well, they've sure have been through a lot today." Goofy said. Sora looked at them, thinking back on what they were like through their time. "You know," he started, drawing Donald and Goofy's attention, "I wonder if there is anyway we can help them. Despite that they are helping us, they really want to go home, where they have friends and family." He looked down as he continued, "I understand that a bit. Kairi, Riku, all of my friends. I want more than ever to make sure that we can get together again, just like old times. That's why I'm trying hard to find Riku, so we can go back to the islands.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other, understanding Sora's words. Suddenly, Jiminy popped out of Sora's clothes. "Don't you worry about a thing." He said consolingly, "To me, I think they meant when they said they help us. Besides, I think Kirito and you share a lot in common." "We do?" Sora asked Jiminy. All of them looked at Kirito. "He is a person who doesn't care what happens to him as long as his friends are safe," Jiminy explained, "He's as kind and strong-willed as you are, Sora. Yui explained that to me back at Twilight Town." "He sure sounds a bit like Sora." Goofy stated. "'xcept Kirito is a lot more mature than Sora." Donald added. "Hey!" barked Sora, causing them all to laugh.

"What about Asuna?" Sora asked, staring at her as she leaned her head on Kirito's shoulder. "Well, from what I heard from Yui," Jiminy told them, "Asuna is Kirito's wife in the game." "What?!" they all cried, but covered their mouths as they saw Kirito stir a bit, but fall back to sleep.

"They're married?" Sora asked Jiminy. "Well, not in real life." the cricket corrected, "Yui explained that in the game, you can set up someone to be your wife in the game. Kirito asked Asuna for marriage, and she agreed." "So, what are they like outside the game?" Sora asked. "Yui say that although they aren't actually married, they are close to one another." Jiminy explained. "Kinda like Sora and Kairi." Goofy stated, making Sora blush in embarrassment.

"Still, the two really do care for one another." Sora said, looking at the two together, "Not only that, but they care about their family and friends well-being. They want to make sure that the people they care about won't worry about them. I just wish we could help them in someway." They all pondered on the thought. "Well, if we find this DiZ guy, he should be able to bring them back home." Goofy suggested. The other two smiled in agreement. "Then it's settled." Sora decided, "Let's make sure we help them out with bringing them back home anyway we can." Goofy, Donald and Jiminy nodded in agreement.

They then flew in silence for a while, then the signal went off, meaning they were nearing their destination. This caused Kirito, Asuna and Yui to wake up. They stretched and yawned, and started to see the new world off in the distance. "Is that where were gonna be landing?" Kirito asked. "Yep." Sora answered, cheerfully looking at Kirito. They all watched as they finally made it into the atmosphere of the world. Goofy set up the transporter, and in a sparkle of lights, they all teleported away.

Meanwhile, inside a dark, circular room, Pete came to the outside door, looking around to see if anyone was there. "Maleficent!" Pete called out with a worried expression, "Maleficent!" He stared at the circular table in the middle of the room, and entered in. "Maybe they really did finish her off." Pete suggested, looking around the room, scared.

He looked around the room. "And this castle sure ain't what I expected." Pete stated, "No shine, nothin'. Oh, now what's gonna happen to our plan?" Suddenly, Pete heard a rustling of wings, and he turned to the door he came in, and saw a crow on the balcony. It rustled its' feathers and cawed at him. Pete shook his head and gasped, realizing who the bird belonged too.

**Chapter 2: Hollow Bastion**

When the group came out of teleportation, they found themselves on a cobblestone road at the upper level of a town surrounded by stone walls. Sora, Donald and Goofy rushed over to a viewing point, where they saw a castle off in the distance that was under construction, or rather deconstruction. Yui dove into Kirito's pocket as he and Asuna walked over to the others as well.

"It's Hollow Bastion!" Sora stated. "Gawrsh, it looks kinda different now." Goofy pointed out. "What was it like before?" Kirito asked. "Well for one thing," Sora started, "This town wasn't here. There were waterfalls everywhere, and that castle." "And I hazard at a guess that the castle wasn't in the middle of construction before." Asuna guessed. Goofy nodded. "That place was home to all the villains that were controlling the Heartless before, but we beat them up." He explained. "Sounds like a story you should tell us at some point." Kirito said to Sora, who smiled as he wanted to tell them their adventures. "I hope Leon and the gang are doing okay." Donald said to them. Kirito assumed that this 'Leon' must be a friend of theirs.

Just then, Goofy and Asuna turned to see a couple of Soldiers on one of the rooftops before vanishing in black orbs. "I see some Heartless are around here, too." Asuna stated, frowning at the spot they disappeared at. "Uh oh. Looks like we're gonna have to do some fightin'." Goofy told the gang. Sora, Donald and Kirito looked at one another, acknowledging this fact.

They all ran down the pathway into the town square, where there were shops were all around. Some were run by humans, others were run by young ducks that were like Donald. Donald told them that they were his nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie. Because they were triplets, Donald explained that Huey was in red, Dewey was green, and Louie was blue.

After examining the shops all around, Asuna decided that it would be best to use all the Munny they gathered to grab a few things. Not only did they grab some potions and tents, but they also got Goofy a new shield. They didn't get a new staff for Donald, but they promised the angry duck that they would get one once they save enough. Kirito and Asuna were also introduced to moogles, small, flying creatures that looked like a doll. Not only that they were intelligent, and were able to synthesize various materials to create new stuff for them. Kirito made a mental check on that, as he did get a couple of black colored shards from the Heartless.

The gang went down the stairs to the lower levels of the town. It was pretty run down, but still suitable for living. The gang went underneath a tall stone bridge and looked around the place. No one was around, or so they thought.

Just then, something white came out of nowhere, surprising them. It looked like a white orb sandwiched between two circular disks. It was definitely something digital, the evidence through their appearance was clear of that. "Hey, what's going on?!" squawked Donald. Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket and stared at them. "Based on the programing from what I can see," she stated, "I assume they must be defense mechanisms, but I've never seen ones outside the computer program before." "You have a sharp eye there." said a female voice above them, "That's the town's defense mechanism."

All six of them looked around, finding where the voice came from, but Kirito spotted her first, on top of the stone staircase. She looked young, with black hair, and was wearing a black headband with white lining. She wore a dark grey combatant vest with a dangling black strap hanging over a navy blue tank top. She had a white wristband on one of her wrists and and a grey glove on her other hand. Her shorts were black, with another strap hanging from them. She had on black and white-striped, knee-high socks and dark tan boots.

"Yuffie!" Sora addressed her as he saw her smirking face. She waved at them, then she noticed something behind Sora. "Look out!" she cried, and Sora pulled his Keyblade out just in time to avoid getting hit by a Dusk. More Dusks appeared all around them, and all of the team pulled out their weapons, ready for a fight.

They all took on the Nobodies individually. They all had no trouble dealing with them now, especially because there were so few of them. The defense mechanism was also helpful, as it was sending the Nobodies flying, helpless in the air. There were a few new enemies they had to deal with, and they looked like they were swordsman. However, their reaction time was slow, and they were easy to beat.

After finding a new item, for which Yui told that it was a Twilight Shard, they got together again. "Hey, you guys!" Yuffie called out, leaping from the height she was at down to them, "I see you're still in top form." "What'd you expect?" Sora asked, thumping his chest, "Looks like you're doing okay." "Well, what'd YOU expect?" Yuffie retorted, staring at all of them and seeing Kirito and Asuna, "You guys are really good, yourselves. What're your names?" "Oh, this is Kirito and Asuna." Sora introduced, each of them waving at Yuffie, "Their friends of ours that are also journeying with us." "Sounds like fun!" Yuffie said energetically.

"How are the others?" Donald asked Yuffie. "Great!" she answered excitedly. "Hey, Yuffie." Sora asked, "Have you seen the King and Riku, or a guy by the name of DiZ?" "Nope..." she answered as she walked away from them. The five stared as the saw Sora drop his head. Yuffie dashed away from them and then turned around to them. "...But I had a feeling I'd see you guys again." she added.

Sora smiled as he stared at Yuffie, then he put on a serious face as he stared at his raised palm. "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." he quoted, acting like someone else. Kirito and Asuna looked at one another, confused. "Is that supposed to be Leon?" Yuffie asked as she grinned. Donald and Goofy chuckled as Sora rubbed his nose. Kirito guessed that he was just imitating this Leon guy. Guess the guy was a serious type.

"Everybody's working on stuff over at Merlin's house." Yuffie explained to them, "C'mon, I'll introduce your friends to them." She then dashed away like ninja and vanished from sight. They chased after her, but had to also deal with a few Heartless here and there as they continued on. They found a few items laying around or dropped.

They entered a large house on the corner of the street. Inside, they first saw just how cluttered it was. Next were all the books that were stacked on top of each other here and there. Finally, in the back were three people, two watching the screen of a large computer, with one tapping away at it.

"Meet the Hallow Bastion Restortation Committee!" Yuffie introduced them. The three people turned around to see them. The one at the keyboard was an older man, with blond hair, goggles and and a toothpick in his mouth He had a necklace, a white tee-shirt, baggy blue pants, a tan belly-warmer, gray socks and black shoes. He was Cid.

The second was a beautiful young lady, with long, braided, light brown hair, tied by a red ribbon. She wore a pink and white top held by a neck-string, a pink dress with horizontal white stripes underneath that, what looked like a white dress underneath that as well, and brown boots. Her name was Aerith.

The third person was a well-built man, with short, brown hair. He had a white shirt underneath black vest with white fur collar, and a silver necklace. He had black gloves and wore three brown belts on his left forearm. He had long black pants, with belts and a zipper going up each legging, and three belts that intersected around his waist. He also had on back shoes. That guy was Leon.

"We missed you!" Aerith said, indicating Sora, Donald and Goofy. "Well, if you ain't in top shape." Cid stated. "I knew it." Leon said monotonously. "Knew what?" Sora asked as Yuffie led their group over to them. "A while back, everyone suddenly remembered you guys, all at the same time." Leon explained. Sora, Donald and Goofy were taken aback at what he said, even Kirito and Asuna were skeptical at this. How could everyone at the same time just remember someone? Were they forgotten? How?

"You...remembered?" Sora asked, realizing what this meant, "Wait! Does that mean you forgot about us?!" "Thanks!" Donald growled sarcastically. "So where've you guys been all this time?" Yuffie asked. "We were sleepin'." Goofy answered. "Where? In cold storage?" Cid asked amusingly. "Didn't look like that." Asuna answered, drawing the attention to the newcomers.

"And these guys?" Leon asked. "Oh, they're new friends of Sora." Yuffie answered eagerly, "There names are Kirito and Asuna." "Hey," Kirito greeted. Leon walked up to Kirito and stared into his eyes. Kirito looked back at him calmly, noticing he was being tested. "You seem pretty strong." Leon simply said. "Same to you." Kirito responded in a calming manner. "Kirito really is strong!" Yuffie said to the trio, "He and Asuna are both Keyblade wielders!" Aerith and Cid both looked at the two, surprised. Leon only raised his eyebrows.

"I see," he said, turning his back onto Kirito for a few seconds. He then spun around fast, pulling his sword out from who knows where. Kirito responded cooly by summoning his Oblivion and blocking the sword with one hand. Everyone stood back in shock.

The two stared at each other, their swords bearing onto each other. Finally, Leon lowered his sword and smirked. "You don't have hesitation in your moves." He said to him, "I guess the Keyblade chose someone very prominent this time." "Hey!" Sora barked, offended by this. "I've had experience." Kirito said calmly, "So does Asuna." Leon absentmindedly stared at her, who gave him a serious side look.

He then looked back at Kirito. "I'll leave it at that." he said, raising his free hand, "I'm Leon." "Kirito." the black swordsman responded, and each shook hands, "Nice to meet you." "Man, you two are scary similar." Cid responded, "I'm Cid, nice to meet ya'." "I'm Aerith," the girl responded, "I'm glad to see you got on Leon's good side." Kirito smiled a bit at the two. Asuna waved at them. Sora, Donald and Goofy sighed in relief. They thought that Kirito and Leon were gonna go all out on each other.

**Chapter 3: The Problem and New Magic**

"So, um," Sora said, breaking the moment, "we're trying to find Riku, the King, and a man by the name of DiZ. Have you seen 'em?" Aerith, Cid and Leon all shook their heads. "Right." Sora sighed. "Sorry." Aerith said apologetically, "But let us know if there's anything we can do to help. Okay?" "Okay, thanks." Sora answered. "Don't go thankin' us just yet." Cid said abruptly, coming in closer to Sora. "Hollow Bastion's got a problem." Leon explained, "A big problem."

"You mean, like Nobodies? And Heartless?" Sora asked, looking over Cid's shoulder at them. "That's right!" Yuffie answered. "Sounds like you could use our help." Sora stated. Kirito and Asuna nodded in agreement. "Then let's cut to the chase." Leon said to them. All four of the Restoration Committee gathered around the five heroes. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, as well as Kirito and Asuna." Leon addressed them, "We were hoping the five of you might give us a hand around here." Sora thumped his chest. "Like we're gonna say no?" He told them. "Hmph," Leon smirked at them, "I forgot who I'm dealing with." "Hey, what do you mean by that?" Donald asked shrewdly. "Just think of it as a sort of 'Leon compliment'." Aerith said to them. "Sounds a lot like your comments at times." Asuna said to Kirito as Yui popped out of her pocket and giggled at him. "Do I really sound like that?" Kirito asked questionably. "You two could be like brothers." Asuna said amusingly, making Sora laugh and pointed a finger at Kirito.

Leon walked to the door and opened it. "Follow me to the bailey." he told them, "There's something you need to see." He walked out the door and left. Just as he left, a puff of white smoke appeared, and a man that resembled a wizard like Yen Sid appeared. He too had a blue robe, but his pointy hat was crooked at the top. His beard was white and really long, and he wore thin-rimmed glasses. He was also carrying a long walking staff.

"Oh! I thought it was you. Right on time!" He said to Sora. "It's Merlin!" Donald exclaimed as the five walked over to him. "Sora and the gang said they're gonna help out!" Yuffie explained, "Not only that, but they have their new friends, Asuna and Kirito, helping out, too!" "Splendid!" Merlin muttered, turning to the two unfamiliar faces, "Ah! I see you two also carry the powers of the Keyblade." "You can tell?" Asuna asked. "Well, a bit of questioning and a good eye can easily give away the answer." Merlin chuckled, pointing out Kirito's Keyblade, which he forgot to put away. They both looked at each other, slightly embarrassed, and Kirito put his weapon away. "Well, we'll count on all of you!" Merlin told the group. "Right!" they all responded.

"Ah, yes." Merlin remembered, "Did you give them the cards, dear?" "Oh!" Aerith gasped, then she pulled out three cards and handed them to Sora, Donald and Goofy, "Here, they're presents for you. Leon thought you might like to have them." Each took a card and read what it said on the back. "Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member!" Sora read out loud. Underneath that were each their names. "Membership cards!" Donald exclaimed. "Kinda cool, huh?" Goofy asked, the other two nodded in agreement. Aerith turned to Kirito and Asuna. "We'll make some card for you too." she told them. "Thanks, but you don't have to go out of your way!" Kirito responded. "Com'on, papa!" moaned Yui, flying out and looking at Kirito, "It could be fun having one of those cards." She turned to Aerith. "I haven't introduced myself yet." she said, "I'm Yui! It's a pleasure to meet ya'!" "It's nice to meet you too." Aerith responded as Yui shook her finger.

Sora was done looking all over his card. "Hey, thanks Leo..." he turned to the door and realized he wasn't there, "Huh? Oh no! We're supposed to be at the bailey!" The four nodded in agreement as Yui flew back into Kirito's pocket.

"Just a moment, Sora." Merlin halted them, "What about your magic?" "Huh? Oh that's right..." Sora remembered, then he thought about it. Based on his expression, it was obvious he forgot how to do them. "Maybe you forgot it while you were asleep!" Yuffie assumed. "Now, what am I to do with you?" moaned the wizard, "I suppose I'll have to led you a few spells. But be careful with them!" "Thanks, Merlin!" Sora responded eagerly. Merlin turned to Asuna and Kirito. "I guess that you two don't know any magic either." he asked the two. They shook their heads. It was only in their ALO forms could they do spells. "Well then," he summarized, "I'll just have to give you two some spells as well." He waved his staff, and three green orbs with four stars around them appeared and dove into their bodies. "There," he finished, "I have just given each of you the 'Blizzard' spell. Use it wisely." "Thanks!" they said in unison. "To the bailey, and quickly!" Donald declared, and they dashed outside.

They ran up the stone stairs to the upper levels, and went along the terrace. They had some Heartless getting in their way. "Let me try my new spell." Asuna declared, pointing her Keyblade out in front of her. "Just concentrate, and say the spell you want ta use." Donald explained. Asuna nodded, and aimed for one of the Soldiers. "_Blizzard!_" she cried, and an icicle spear shot out of her Oathkeeper and hit the Soldier head on, causing it to vanish in black smoke and drop Munny. "Wow, that is pretty awesome!" Asuna exclaimed. "And much easier to remember than ALO spells." Kirito compared. They took out the Heartless, gathered up the leftovers, and ran into the bailey.

The interior of the bailey was dark hallway, with a couple sunny spots where the stone balconies were at. At the furthest balcony, Leon was leaning on one of the walls, waiting for them. They walked up to them who directed their attention to the outside. "Look at that." He told them. They all stared, shocked at what they saw.

An evil looking castle stood off in the distance, towering over a ruined town. It was surrounded by cliffs and thousands, maybe tens of thousands of Heartless, blackening the ground around the castle, their yellow eyes sparkling like stars.

"We want to restore Hollow Bastion to what it use to be." Leon explained to them, "Who knows-maybe even something better. There's still a lot to do, but I'm sure we can handle everything, except for that..." He then pointed his hand out even further down as he finished, "...and that." They looked down and saw some Nobodies strolling towards all the Heartless.

Sora and the others leaned away from the balcony and looked at Leon. "We'll handle 'em." Sora declared, thumping his chest. "That's a crazy amount do deal with!" Asuna exclaimed, "I'm not sure if we can beat all of them on our own." "We have to try." Kirito retorted, who wasn't looking as worried as he was on the inside, "So lets take care of them."

"Well, that's good to hear." Leon replied, "So Sora, do you know what's going on, then?" "There's this guy, Pete, who's been going around plotting with the Heartless." Sora explained. "...But he's not smart enough to tie his own shoes." Kirito cut in, "The one's we need to worry about are the Nobodies." "And the members of Organization XIII who are in charge of them." Asuna added, thinking about their group.

"You called?" said a deep, male voice. It seem to come out of nowhere. They looked around, trying to find where the voice was coming from. All but Leon ran into the middle of the hallway, Donald and Goofy pulling out their weapons. "You're doing well." the voice said again. "Who's that?!" Sora shouted as the trio pulled their Keyblades out. "This calls for a celebration..." said the voice.

Suddenly, Nobodies started to pop out of nowhere. As Donald and Goofy ran to the gate they came into, Sora, Kirito, Asuna and Leon were chasing down a few of the Nobodies, and cutting off their path to the gate. "We can't let them breach the gate!" Leon told them. The three Keyblade wielders nodded. "Donald! Goofy!" Kirito called out, "Make sure that those gates are locked tight! We'll take care of these things!" Both Donald and Goofy nodded in response, and they closed the gate from the outside. All four sword fighters stared at all of the Nobodies, ready for a fight.

**Chapter 4: The Battle at the Bailey**

They were blocking the Nobodies from getting to the gate. Kirito and Leon rushed in first, they started slashing away at the monsters before them. They saw one from a distance, and as Kirito used Blizzard, Leon shot at it with his sword, and the two attacks made it disappear. "Nice." Kirito complimented, staring at Leon's sword. "A part gun, part blade weapon!" "I keep my options open." Leon said simply, and they continued on furiously.

"I'm seeing doubles!" Asuna said exasperatedly as he and Sora watched Kirito and Leon go at it. Then several Nobodies appeared before them, and they tried to bypass them in order to get to the gate. "No you don't!" they cried, swiftly defeating them one after another. They combined their attacks together as they took them out one after another. The town's defense mechanism was also working out for them, as they sent them flying helplessly into the air, making them easy targets.

As Leon shot down the smaller Nobody that Yui analyzed as a Creeper, Kirito was dealing with the same sword-fighting Nobody as before, whom Yui discovered as Samurai. The Nobody grabbed the swords on his back, but didn't pull them out. Kirito noticed this, and realized what he was doing. "So, a Duel Stance, huh?" Kirito asked, holding his position and putting his Keyblade away, "Very well then, I accept!" The two stared at each other, prepared to draw their weapons. It was as if spotlights seem to appear on them and any nobody around them, freezing them in their spot. "What are you doing?" Yui asked, but Kirito was way too focused to hear her. He glared at the Nobody before him, trying to detect movement. The Samurai was doing the same. There was silence for a moment, then a small gust seem to blow in between them, and they made their move.

With one swift slice, each of them crossed their paths at lightning speed slicing with their swords. They skidded to a halt, not moving in the slightest. Then in an instance, the Samurai disappeared, and not only him, but all the other Nobodies surrounding them. He turned to see how much he did, then continued to fight on. Leon eyed his battle with the Nobody. _Kids got some skill._ He thought as he slashed down a Creeper.

Meanwhile, Asuna and Sora were relentlessly taking down all the Nobodies that were reaching the gate. Asuna saw a couple of Dusks about to attack her, but she pulled a Reversal on them, spinning around behind them and piercing them down. Sora noticed her do this, and saw another Dusk coming at him. He did his best, and he too pulled a Reversal on it and sliced it from behind.

"Not bad." Asuna said as she became surrounded by five of them. Sora rushed to help her, but their was no need. At quick-paced speed, Asuna was darting around all of the Nobodies and striking them down before they had a chance. She turned to Sora as she flicked some hair out of her face. "They don't call me 'Flash' Asuna for nothing." She stated to an open-mouthed Sora.

"Wow!" Sora gasped, "They actually give you a nickname like that?" "Sure," Asuna answered, starting at Kirito, who was back to back with Leon as they were surrounded by Nobodies, "Kirito has something like that." "What's his nickname?" Sora asked eagerly. "Well, he has a few," she explained, "Some would call him a 'Beater', which is a cross between a Beta tester and a cheater. Some would call him the 'Black Swordsman' because of his sword and gear. However, there is one name that also works for him." She went silent as she saw the Nobodies draw in around the two men.

"Got any ideas?" Leon asked Kirito as he was wearing down and being cornered. "One." he answered, placing his hand to his chest, "I just hope I can pull it off." He then concentrated hard, and he started to cause his clothes to glow. "_Valor!_" he cried, and an energy exploded from his clothes, transforming them into the red hue, and producing his second Keyblade. "What?!" Leon said in amazement as he saw this new form.

Kirito charged at a fast pace as he started to sliced and dice furiously at all the Nobodies, who were powerless to stop him. "There it is." Asuna pointed out to Sora, "The 'Twin Blade Swordsman'." They watched as he was sending them flying into the air, and making leaps higher than before at them. There was no stopping him.

He finally stopped as he took out the last one and looked around to see if any of them were left. He panted as his clothes reverted back to normal. "Not bad moves there, Kirito." Leon commended him as Sora and Asuna gathered to him. "Thanks." he replied, "I think I can produce that power a bit better now. Feels weird, but I feel like that every time I struck, I felt myself getting stronger."

"That's probably because your Valor form gets stronger the more you fight with it." Yui answered, flying out of Kirito's pocket and starting at him, "The more you attack, the stronger you get. Not only that, but in Valor form, your jump height also increases, and in time, they can even benefit your normal form." "How do you know that?" Kirito asked, surprised at her knowledge at the form. "I'm not really sure." She answered, "It just came to me." "Well, we'll believe you." Asuna confirmed, "You are the more knowledgable of the group." "Yeah, and I'll be ready to use my Valor Form too after watching you." Sora stated to Kirito, who smiled slightly in Sora's high spirit.

Kirito smiled at them, then suddenly three orbs like the one that gave them the Blizzard magic appeared out of nowhere and went into each other's bodies. "Alright!" cheered Sora, "We've gained new magic!" "I can feel it."Asuna stated, placing a hand to her chest, "It's telling me that it's a fire element." "Then that's the Fire magic." Leon told them. "Sounds great." Kirito said.

He glared as he turned to where the hallway leads to the outside. There was still the matter of whoever sent those Nobodies at them. "Let's go." he told the others. Sora and Asuna nodded, their faces serious, and the three Keyblade wielders headed outside, Leon stood there watching them.

**Chapter 5: The Organization and Gateway Revealed**

The three rushed outside, Sora in the lead, and looked all around. "The Keyblade," the voice said, "a truly marvelous weapon. Were it only in more...capable hands." This was followed by a chorus of laughter. "Show yourself!" Sora called out. Suddenly, on one of the high walls, a black gateway appeared, and a figure in a black coat and hood appeared. He looked down at Sora, Kirito and Asuna, then looked up as he raised his hands. As Donald and Goofy came up to join them, they saw, to their astonishment, six more black gateways appeared, each producing a cloaked figure like the first. They all stood there, looking down at the group below.

"Organization XIII!" Goofy cried out. The five looked at each other and nodded in what they must do." "Good." Sora firmly said, "Now we can settle this!" "We can take them easily out right now!" Kirito stated, he and Asuna standing shoulder to shoulder as they glared at them.

"What a shame," the first person said, who was the voice from before, "And her I thought we could be friends." All the people on the wall vanished into the black gateways again. "Stop!" declared Donald, rushing towards the stairs closet to them in order to get closer, but they were already gone up above.

Just as Donald reached the stairs, a black gateway appeared before him, and one of the cloaked figures stood in his way. Donald, looking surprised looked at the person before him, and up at the place where they disappeared. "What's the big idea?!" Donald squawked at the person before him, waving his staff. "Oopsy-daisy." the man said sarcastically. It was a new voice. Sora, Goofy, Kirito and Asuna got closer in. "Move!" Sora declared. "Now do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?" the man asked him.

"He said get outta the way!" Kirito shouted, raising his Keyblade at the cloaked man. "Oh, don't be such a party pooper!" the masked man said amusingly, "Though from what I heard from the newcomer of our lovely Organization, he said that you two could be a serious problem to us." He was pointing to Kirito and Asuna, who looked at each other in surprise. "What do you mean by that?" Asuna asked severely, "Are you saying somebody knows about us?" "Oh sure." the cloaked man replied, "Though I should let him tell you instead. I'm too bored to play with you guys."

"Well if that's the case," Sora said abruptly, "Then get out of our way, now!" "As if!" he snorted, "You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing." Everyone got into battle positions as Donald jumped back to them. "Then we're gonna MAKE you move!" he declared, raising his staff. "See, that would work, if I were just any old dude." the man told them, "'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing 'any old' about me." "Ha!" barked Sora, "Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkeys did the fighting!" "Oh, dear." The man muttered, "I think you all got the wrong impression. "You gonna cry?" Sora asked amusingly.

"As if!" the man responded, "Why don't I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?" "Remind me?" questioned Sora, looking confused, then he shook it off and looked at him angrily. The man laughed at his expression. "That's right," he said, "he used to give me that same exact look." "Don't listen to him, Sora." Kirito warned him, "I bet he's just saying random stuff so he can psych you out!" "That won't work on me!" He said, though a look that crossed his face slightly showed that it did. "You think you can just try to confuse my friends and I like that?" Asuna asked the cloaked man. "Gee," he responded raising his arms out to either side of him, "I just don't know."

They stared at each other, looking like a battle was about to take place right here, right now. Then the cloaked man straighten himself up. "Be a good boy now!" he said to Sora as a black gateway started to envelop him. "Wait!" Donald cried, rushing in to attack him. He leapt at him just as the cloaked man disappeared, causing Donald to fall to the ground. "Nuts!" Donald snorted as he raised his head, "He got away!"

"That was weird." Sora stated, "Who gave him the same look?" "Y'now, I think he was just tryin' to confuse ya." Goofy assumed. "That's what I said." Kirito said. "Yeah, you guys are right." Sora answered, Only one me!" "Though it does seem weird that he knew us." Asuna said, looking at the spot the man disappeared, "He said a 'newcomer' of the Organization told them all about us. But who would know us?" Kirito and Yui, who popped out once again, stared at Asuna, who stared back, worried about one question; could somebody else from their dimension could've possibly come to this world?

"Hey, it doesn't matter." Sora assured them, "We can take on whoever comes our way from the Organization." Sora pulled out the membership card and raised it up as the group, along with Leon, gathered around him. "The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member..." he quoted, but he was cut off as the card started to glow. He let go of it, and it hung in the air, the light shining from it. Everyone gasped in surprise. Suddenly, Sora's, Kirito's and Asuna's Keyblades all started to glow at the tips. "What's this?" Leon asked. "Gawrsh, ya think...?" Goofy thought. Sora looked at Kirito and Asuna, who nodded in response.

They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the floating membership card glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into what looked like a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the card suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

The three of them lowered their Keyblades. "Ohh, now I get it." Sora realized. "That must've been the gate Yen Sid was talking about." Kirito recalled. "Then that means we opened one of the gates!" Asuna said excitedly. "Oh, boy!" Donald cheered. Kirito looked down at his Oblivion. "This really is a key to something." Kirito said quietly, realizing its' powers.

Sora turned to Leon. "Sorry to run, Leon," he said determinately, "but other worlds are calling." Leon nodded in acknowledgement. "Organization XIII," he said, crossing his arms across his chest, "They look tough. Be careful out there." The five of them nodded in returned. "See you soon." Sora said to him. "Glad I got to meet you, Leon." Kirito stated, walking forward and raising a hand out. "Same to you, Kirito." Leon responded, taking his hand and shaking it, "You're...not bad. Maybe I can test you sometime." "I think you have that backwards." Kirito said amusingly. The two black-clothed men looked at one another, smirking.

"Come on, Kirito!" Asuna cried to him. Kirito let go of Leon's hand and waved in goodbye as he rushed to his friends. Leon waved back at him. As they grouped together, Goofy pulled a device out of his pocket and pressed a button. Suddenly, the light of the Gummi ship's teleportation device beamed down onto them, and they disappeared into it.

When they got onto the ship, they noticed a new change to the interior; two new seats were there. "Alright!" Sora cheered, "You guys also have seats now!" Kirito and Asuna looked at the seats before them, and sat into them. They weren't fully comfortable, but they were better than lying on the wall. "Ok, gang," Sora declared, staring at the star map, for which two worlds appeared, "let's go!"

Yui popped out and went to the main controls. "I'll set the coordinates for us!" she said setting the destination for the nearest planet, she turned to the group, "You guys ready?" "Ready!" Goofy responded. "Then what are we for?!" squawked Donald. "Let's head out." Kirito said calmly as Asuna smiled at him. "Righto, papa!" she answered turning around to the control panel and pressing the final button. The ships auto pilot sent them flying to their next destination.

**Well, that Hollow Bastion, the first time. Talk about interesting. A new character is hinted in this episode: the new member of Organization XIII. Who could it be?**

**As for the next chapter, I am gonna have fun with it, cause it is in the Land of the Dragon, aka Mulan. If you know that Disney classic, along with Asuna and her pride, you know how much fun it is to create a story with Asuna as the main Keyblade wielder in this world. Wait patiently, if your lucky, I could have it done in a day or two.**


	6. Ep 4: Land of the Dragon! Women's Honor

**Okay, I think I went overkill on this story, I'm not sure. All I know is that this is the longest episode I added yet. Still, I hope you enjoy it, cause I sure did.**

**Prologue**

Once, there was a thriving village. Now, it is been burnt to a crisp. A hawk soared over the wreckage and landed onto the man responsible. He stood in the middle of the place, staring at his work. He was large and muscular, his hair and mustache were black. His hood was black with grey fur lining, and what looked like two raccoon tails dangling in the front. He wore a black and yellow coat on him, with tattered brown lining and a brown belt. His pants were dark grey. His boots and and left glove were black. He looked at the destroyed village and grinned maliciously.

Off in the distance, Mulan was watching the man in the wrecked village through the bamboo forest. A shadow of a dragon-like figure with red eyes was being displayed on a large rock from a campfire. "See that, Mulan?" it said to her, "It's Shan-Yu, leader of the Hun army! C'mon girl. This is your big chance! I can see it now: 'Fa Mulan whups public enemy #1!' You gonna be famous! I'm talkin' A-list!"

"Mushu, I'm not sure." Mulan said, turning to him, "I haven't even joined the army yet. I have to take my father's place to preserve the Fa family honor. I just hope I don't get discovered." "Whatever." Mushu brushed off, "You just scared, admit it." "Aren't you?" Mulan asked back. Mushu placed a hand over his eyes, shaking his head at Mulan's lack of self-esteem.

**Chapter 1: Mulan and Mushu**

In space, a bright keyhole came out of nowhere, and the Gummi ship came flying out it. It slowed to a halt as it was nearing the next world. Inside, Kirito and Asuna were trying their best to hold onto their seats, panic-stricken at what they had just gone through.

First, they entered a gate, which they needed to unlock in order to proceed onto the next world. However, the moment they entered it, they found themselves flying though a hurricane of Heartless and Nobodies! They were flying and diving every which-way, avoiding getting hit by objects, attacks and monsters, while shooting back at all of the enemies. Not only did they expect a battle in space like this, but they didn't know that the Gummi ship was capable of fighting. It was a good thing they were strapped into their seats, cause with all the maneuvering and spinning Sora, Donald and Goofy were doing, they could have been flying all around the interior of the ship.

"Do we have to do that every time we go to a different world?!" Asuna asked exasperatedly as she and Kirito straighten herself onto the chair. "Only once per world." Sora told her, "After that, we don't have to do it again." "Gee, Asuna. I thought you were use to flyin'." Goofy remembered, "Didn't ya say you able to fly in that ALO game?" "Yeah, with a pair of wings on our back!" Kirito told him, who looked a bit dazed from the ride. "The games were not science fiction, but more medieval fantasy." Yui came leaning out of Kirito's pocket, absolutely dazed.

"Well, what ever the case, we're here anyway." Sora confirmed to them. Pointing out the window. Outside, the next planet was visible. "Any idea what this world is?" Kirito asked. Sora, Donald and Goofy shook their heads. Yui dizzyingly flew over to the control panel and looked up the world description. "Seems to be called 'the Land of the Dragon'." She explained, "It's set in ancient China, and it seems to be in some war right now."

"Finally, something a little more closer to home." Asuna sighed deeply, getting from the chair and walking to the transporter. Everyone else joined her as Yui got things ready. She then pressed a button and flew over to them just as the light started to form around them. All of them teleported out of the ship and down to the new world.

When they landed, they found themselves on a path in the middle of a tall bamboo forest. They looked all around their surroundings. No one was around. "It feels like we went back in time." Asuna stated, looking at the sky. "I wonder what kind of people live here?" Sora asked. "Well, we'll not find out if we stand around here." Kirito answered, starting to walk along the road, "Let's get moving."

He led the group down the path for a short while then Kirito stopped and held a hand out for the others to stop too. All five of them looked around the corner, and saw a person in heavy, black and green-lined armor staring at the shadow of a dragon-like creature with red eyes.

The reared their heads from the scene and huddled together. "A Heartless?" Donald whispered to them. Sora and Kirito nodded. "Let's get the jump on 'im!" Sora suggested. "Sounds like an idea." Kirito answered, and the trio jumped into action. "Hold on, you guys!" Asuna whispered as they started to charge. "Gawrsh, maybe we better look before we leap." Goofy said desperately, but they didn't respond.

Sora, Kirito and Donald rounded the corner and charged, yelling battle cries at the shadow and the person before them. Goofy and Asuna were bringing up the rear. The person saw them and looked terrified. The shadow disappeared and a small, red lizard like creature leapt into the person's hand, and they huddled together in fright. Both Donald and Sora stopped in their tracks, but Kirito kept going. Asuna dashed ahead and had to tackle him down to the ground. Goofy came to a halt next to Sora and Donald.

"Is that Mushu?" Goofy asked. Kirito and Asuna looked up at the now curled-up person. The red lizard came popping out from the person's arms, and peered over his/her back. He was small, long and spindly. He was red with a yellow belly, yellow whiskers, and blue horns, and large eyes. His hands were long and had four fingers.

"That's right, I know you heard of me!" Mushu replied looking every way other than the five people, "I'm little, lethal, and legendary! Now y'all scram before I get my dragon dander up!" Kirito and Asuna then realized that the lizard was actually a dragon. "Hey, Mushu!" Sora called out, "We missed you!" "Yeah, well you better HOPE I miss you, or else you're...you're..." He then noticed who was talking to him. "...Sora! Donald! Goofy!" he called back.

"Do you know them?" asked the person. Asuna could easily tell by her voice that the person was a girl, but Kirito was clueless. "Know them?" echoed Mushu leaping down and walking past Kirito and Asuna as they stood up, "Man, we used to kick all kinds of bad guy butt together! Yeah, you know, I helped these guys out of a lot of tight spots. 'Cause I'm a mighty dragon! Right?" He leaned back onto Sora's shoe and took a cool pose as he looked up at them. Sora moved his foot, causing Mushu to topple over. "Something like that!" Sora responded, "And...you are?" he asked the, what he thought, man in armor. "I'm Mulan...uh, no I-I mean...," she stammered, trying to talk in a deep voice, but Mushu cut in. "Ping!" he told them. "Mulan Ping?" Donald asked questionably. "Just Ping." she responded, taking a manly pose, "I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou." Asuna looked at Ping oddly. She knew that she was a girl, so why act like a man?

"You know Mushu?" Sora asked as Mushu stood up brushed the dirt off of him. "Mushu's one of my family's guardians." Ping answered. "We didn't know we were borrowin' somebody as important as a family guardian." said Goofy. "Yeah, that's right!" Mushu popped in, climbing onto Ping's shoulder, "At that puts you three up to your eyeballs in debt to Ping here. Well, guess what, kiddies? It's payback time!" "Mushu..." Ping muttered. "Ah, they don't mind. Ain't that right?" "Hmm, sounds fair." Sora answered.

It was only then that he noticed Kirito and Asuna walking back to the other three. He got terrified at the sight of newcomers, and hid behind Ping again. "It' kind of a bit too late for that." Kirito told the dragon. "Don't worry, Mushu! Their friends." Sora told him, "These guys are Kirito and Asuna." "Hello there." Asuna greeted the two. Both Mushu and Ping waved back.

"So anyway," Sora continued, "We'll help you out. So what do you want us to do?" "See, Ping here was just on his way to join the Imperial army. We gotta go find the other recruits over at the training camp." "Would you join us?" Ping asked, "It'll be easier to fit in if I'm with guys, like you." "What do you mean, 'fit in'?" Sora asked. "Well, um, uh, don't-don't worry about that." "She means she's a girl, idiots." Asuna answered them frowning at the lot of them.

There was a pause of silence, followed by Sora, Donald and Kirito crying in surprise. Goofy, apparently, knew Ping was a girl, too. "You're a...girl?!" Sora asked. Ping looked at the group nervously. "You didn't notice?" she asked them. "Not me." Sora responded as he and Donald shook their heads. "I was skeptical, but I didn't think you really were one." Kirito answered. Ping turned to Mushu, who sat on her shoulder. "I think it's working." she told him. "I don't know," Mushu replied, "those two would fall for anything, same goes for the new guy." "I'm right here!" Sora declared. "Hey!" the other two barked.

"Honestly, you guys!" yelled a ticked off Asuna, "The evidence was quite clear. Course, it could be because I'm a girl, but really now!" The three looked ashamed as Asuna turned to Ping. "I suppose that the name before, Mulan, is your real name right?" she asked, her arms crossed under her chest. "Yes," said an embarrassed Mulan, "I'm Fa Mulan. Was I really that noticeable?"

"First of all, yes, but only because I have brains." She answered, glaring at the trio of dimwits who didn't know. "Second of all, why in the world would you dress up as a man in the first place?!" "I had to do it." She answered, "The Imperial Army only recruits the first born sons of each family. They wouldn't recruit me because I'm a girl, so it was either my father who would fight, or I'd do this."

"That does sound like something people in ancient times would do." Kirito thought out loud, pondering on what he learned in history class, "In the past, they would only consider women in those times as people to take care of the house and kids, or even just as trophies. They would never consider them as fighters."

He turned to Mulan as he continued, "I'm really sorry to say stuff like that, but I'm only saying what I've read in books. What you are doing is very brave and noble, and I like it." Mulan smiled nervously at him. "So I'll help you get the part down right." Kirito told her, "And I'm sure we'll find a way for you to fit in, right, Asu..." He stopped, because he was suddenly startled as he saw her expression. A white, steamy aura enveloped her body. Her eyes were set, with her teeth bearing, and her fists clenched. Oh yeah, she was pissed.

Kirito was the only one that wasn't backing farther away from her, for it looked like she was about to explode. "Mama?" Yui asked nervously, popping her head out of Kirito's pocket. Kirito fingered her head back in, know now was not the time for counseling. "So, they don't think women can actually fight, huh?" she asked, her tone soft and deadly, "Well, maybe I'll just have to speak with the leader of this Imperial Army, and me sure that I make my point clear." She turned and started to walk off as she continued, "If China thinks that it can walk over a women's pride and get away with it, it has another thing coming!"

"H-hey, Asuna." Kirito said, walking towards her, "We can't just go waltzing in like that. You're gonna have to..." But Asuna turned and made a demonic face at him that told Kirito to shut up. She turned and continued on her path. Mulan stared at Asuna's back, thinking on how crazy she was, and yet how strong-willed she was. She followed her, with the boys right behind, not wanting to get close to Asuna at the moment.

**Chapter 2: Asuna vs. Captain Li Shang**

All of them entered the campsite where the Imperial Army was at. It was apparently mealtime, cause there was a line of people, waiting to be served food. Asuna marched first to the line, Sora, Donald and Goofy followed behind. Kirito and Mulan started forward, but Mushu popped out. "Remember girl, manly!" he reminded her, and she responded by puffing her chest out, knees together, legs out, and arms flexed. She marched so awkwardly, that Kirito had to stop her before she made a fool out of herself, and asked that she walk more normally.

Asuna and Sora got into line first, waiting for food. Suddenly, a short, gristly man with a black eye, wearing black and red armor came out of nowhere and, without even looking at Sora and Asuna, shoved them out of the way. "'Bout time we got some grub." He said. "Hey! No cutting!" Sora stated angrily. "Get out!" Donald told him. Asuna waved a hand to them as she stepped forward.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you 'lady's first'?" she asked as she looked down at the man. The man turned around, about to slug whoever was behind him, but saw Asuna and stopped. "Ooh, well what do we have here?" he asked, staring at Asuna's figure, "Sorry, dame, but this place is for the Imperial Army. No women allowed."

Asuna put on a fake, innocent chuckle. "Oh really?" she asked him. Then, without warning, she aimed a low sweep on the guy's legs, flipped him around, grabbed one of his arms, pulled it behind his back, and pinned him to the ground. "In that case, why are you here?" she whispered into his ear as he struggled in pain. The other five members of her group watched this, totally amazed at how easily she dealt with him.

She let him go and turned his back to him. Big mistake, for the guy jumped up and was about to punch her, but Sora blocked the shot with his hands. Asuna expected Kirito to do that, not Sora. "Hey, that's not nice!" he told him off. He slugged Sora away from him, but Donald came pouncing on top of him. "Get off!" the man growled, struggling with the animated duck. "No!" he shouted.

The two started to struggle, Asuna, Goofy and Mulan all watched them go at it. Kirito helped Sora to his feet. Then two more guys appeared. One had yellow and black armor, and he was about Sora's height, but much thinner. On the opposite point of view, the second man was big, fat, and was wearing blue and black armor.

"Hey a space in line!" the yellow armored guy said, showing the two combatants aside. "I wonder what they're serving for lunch today." asked the blue armored man, not realizing he bowled everyone over to get in the line. "Knuckle sandwiches!" the short guy replied the short man, jumping at the skinny guy, with Donald following behind. The three started to fight, and Sora even joined the quarrel, finishing what he started. The four were attacking one another, and it seemed like it wasn't gonna stop. Goofy was holding Kirito back from attacking him them as well, who wanted back on him attacking Asuna.

While everyone was watching the fight, Mulan was wanting to stop them, but didn't know how. Finally, she yelled, without thinking of being manly, "Please!" the four stopped, hearing her shout like a girl. "Please?!" mimicked the skinny man. "What a girl!" the short man said. Mulan remembered that she was suppose to be a man. "Uh, knock it off!" she cried in a deep tone.

"Knock what off?" the short man asked sarcastically. "You punched me!" Sora stated. "Cutting in line!" Donald added. "Almost hurting Asuna!" Kirito finished. "What a shrimp!" the skinny guy teased. "Who you callin' a shrimp, panda lips?" asked an angry Mushu, popping out of Mulan's armor, "I'm a bona fide guardian dragon!" Mulan put him away before he was discovered.

"Technically, I let him attack me." Asuna corrected Kirito. "I wanted to see if he was a man, and now I see he isn't one." "What was that?" growled the short man, stomping towards Asuna. "You heard me." she replied, purposely leaning down to see him, "Or are your ears as bad as your looks?" "That's it!" he barked, raising his fists, "I don't care if your a girl or not, I'm gonna beat you to a pulp!" "Bring it!" Asuna replied, readying herself for combat. "Go for it, Asuna!" Sora cheered. "Take her down, Yao!" yelled the skinny guy. Mulan and Goofy looked worried as another quarrel was about to start. Kirito stared amazed at Asuna. This was a side of her he didn't see often. Then again, her pride is on the line.

Just then, a man's voice cried "Soldiers! Get back in line!" Everyone turned to see a man of muscular build walking towards him, with white, black and grey armor, and a red cape. He had his sword around his waist. "The captain!" the skinny guy gasped. _Finally._ Asuna thought. Everyone got in line at attention. The captain walked by them, but stopped when he noticed Asuna as part of the group.

"Excuse me." he told her, "but women aren't allowed here. You must go back home." "I know that." she replied, turning to meet his gaze, "So why don't you tell that guy in the red armor that he should go?" Yao growled as his eyes looked behind him. "This isn't a game, young lady." the captain warned her, "I'm ordering you to go back to your family, unless you wish to dishonor your family name."

"See, that would work, if I were from China." Asuna said smugly, with Sora and Kirito waving their hands to silence her, "But the fact is I'm from Japan, and I'm interested in ending this war." The captain looked sternly at Asuna, who didn't waver off his gaze. "State your name, young lady." he told her. "Yuuki Asuna." she replied, "And yours? Surely you have courtesy." "It's Captain Li Shang." He responded, not enjoying being smart-mouthed my a female, "And you are leaving, now." "Not happening." Asuna retorted, stepping out of the line to face him, "However, I might consider it if you can beat me."

Shang was taken aback, as was all of the other soldiers and Asuna's friends. "Asuna, hold on!" Kirito said, stepping out to meet her, "You can't just go demanding a fight with the captain of an army like that." "Please, just get back in line." Mulan said in her manly tone, walking next to her. "Sorry, but I'm not gonna let someone push me around just because I'm a women." Asuna retorted, spinning her head to them, "I have my pride on the line, and I'm not gonna let someone walk over it. Surely, you know that Kirito?" she looked at Kirito sternly, who saw how serious she was, and nodded in response. She looked at Mulan, and her eyes narrowed. Mulan stepped back a bit from her, realizing that she, unlike her, didn't need to dress up as a man in order to keep her honor.

Asuna whipped her back to Shang. "So, we have a deal or not?" she asked the perplexed captain, "If I win, I stay. If I lose, I leave. Sounds simple, no?" Shang looked at her, amazed that a women was actually demanding a match with the captain. Finally, he said, "Very well then, I accept."

He and Asuna walked further away from the crowd, who gathered to watch the fight. Shang drew his sword just as Asuna whipped out her Oathkeeper. "The rules are simple," she told him, "no killing allowed. First one unable to continue wins." Shang nodded in agreement. The crowd started to cheer and jeer at the both of them. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Yui and Mulan were the only ones cheering for Asuna. The two stared at one another for only a few seconds, then they charged.

That battle only took a minute. Shang was definitely well trained, and stood up to Asuna's spells and frontal assaults, but he was no match for her speed. She kept darting around him as he tried striking her, and poking his back with her Keyblade. Finally, just as Shang did a downward slash onto Asuna, she retaliated by parrying his blade, and sending it flying. She knocked the captain to the ground, and pointed her Keyblade at his head, signaling the end of the fight.

There was a pause, followed by gasps from the soldiers rooting for Shang. "Way to go, Asuna!" Sora cheered over the excited cries of Donald and Goofy. "I knew that would happen." said a smirking Kirito. "Way to go, mama!" Yui shouted, flipping in the air in excitement. Mulan merely stared open mouthed at the sight. Asuna was so strong, and so ambitious. Was it really her battle experience that helped her in the battle, or was it something more? Perhaps it was her honor and pride that drove her. Mulan was definitely liking Asuna's style.

"That's it." Asuna said calmly, lowering her Keyblade in response to the end of the match, "So, I'll stay, or are you also a coward for not agreeing to our terms?" Shang looked up at her, feeling somewhat humiliated, then he stood up. "Very well then." he agreed, "However, you are not allowed to be part of the Imperial Army." "Fair enough." Asuna responded, looking back at her friends, specifically at Mulan. All she wanted to do was to prove a point to China.

Shang made one look at the rest of the people watching them, and they immediately got in line for food again. Asuna walked to the end of the line, standing behind Mulan. Shang looked at the line, and walked towards the front end. Sora turned back to Asuna. "Nice going, Asuna!" he whispered. Asuna smiled back at his praise. Kirito looked back at her, and couldn't help but feel proud of her.

Just as Sora turned his head forward again, he suddenly noticed something appearing in front of them: Heartless.

**Chapter 3: Proving Ping's Potential**

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna and Mulan were the first to notice them. "What are they?" Mulan asked. "Heartless." Sora answered. "They just keep popping up." Kirito said calmly. The three soldiers they were dealing with before noticed them too. "Oh, yeah?" the yellow-armored one asked, then they took off.

The six heroes prepared their weapons. "Ping, I hope you're ready." Asuna stated, emphasizing her alibi name. Mulan nodded, and they all charged in pairs. Sora and Donald paired up and started casting magic attacks on the Heartless. Kirito and Goofy were basically the frontal assault, swinging and bashing their weapons on the incoming horde. Asuna and Mulan were doing the same as them.

It was obvious that Mulan lacked combatant training, cause she kept slipping up throughout the battle. Asuna had to help her out anyway she could. "You need to get your head and body straight!" she scolded Mulan as she saved her from a couple Heartless. "Sorry," she replied, looking ashamed. Asuna shook her head and started to fight new kinds of Heartless, for which Yui described as Nightwalkers.

After defeating all of them, they were all called over by Shang. The six walked over to him. "You four," he asked, addressing Sora, Donald, Goofy and Kirito, "What are your names?" Each told them their name. "You four are welcome in my troop. Your battle skills are encouraging." he told them, all of them looking a bit proud of themselves.

"I am the son of Fa Zhou..." Mulan started to say, but Shang cut her off. "You should return home." he told her. Mulan was taken aback at this. "B-but..." she stammered, "That would dishonor my family!" "You'd rather dishonor my troops?" Shang asked her scornfully. That ticked off Mulan. "Don't make me...!" she scowled, ready to attack the captain.

Asuna waved a hand out in front of her to calm her down. Sora stepped forward. "If Ping trains hard and does his best, he'll get stronger in no time." he summarized to the captain. "We'll help her through her training." Kirito told him, "We guarantee that he'll be good enough in no time." Shang looked at the two boys, then at Ping, thinking about what they said. "Just give us an assignment!" Sora suggested, "We'll show you how well we can work together." "And I'll even give him a few pointers." Asuna added, "Trust me, after we finish training Ping, she'll be more than your average warrior."

"So...you want to be tested?" Shang asked Ping. She nodded in response. "Our orders are to ambush Shan-Yu's army on their way here." Shang explained, "They should be coming through the mountain pass. "We'll smash them!" Donald exclaimed. "I doubt that." Shang responded, "You four will be the advance party. Scout out the mountain for my troops."

"That's it?" Sora asked, leaning back on the air, "No problem. Right?" he asked Mulan. "R-right." she responded. Asuna sighed. She couldn't stand Mulan's lack of self-confidence. "I'll brief you on the details later." Shang told them, "Return when you're ready to depart. Remember, the smallest mission may have the greatest purpose. Stay alert!" "Sir!" all six responded.

The moment they had some privacy, Asuna turned to Mulan. "Okay, now it's time to get serious." she scolded her, "If you want to prove your strength, and prove your honor, you're gonna have to listen to my instructions, and do what I tell you to do. Got it?" Mulan quickly nodded, and she led her to an open part of the camp in order to teach her some combat lessons.

"Gawrsh, ya think Asuna's goin' a bit too far?" Goofy asked as Mushu walked away from the girls. "She does seem tough on Mulan a bit." Sora stated. "Nah, she's just giving our girl some tough love, that's what she's doin'!" Mushu answered, "She's got the right stuff, especially since she kicked that captain's butt over there!"

"What do you think?" Sora asked Kirito. "I think that Asuna actually cares for Mulan's honor." he responded, staring as the two started to fight with their swords, "You wouldn't believe this, but Asuna wasn't this determinate as she was before. In fact, she didn't care about dying in SAO, even though it meant she die in real life. But I guess in meeting me did she start to be more serious about fighting."

He saw Mulan fall down, and Asuna criticize her. "She hates to see people die, and she hates it even more to see people's pride get damaged. That's why she wants to push Mulan forward to getting stronger. That's why she took on the captain, and willingly came in here, despite being a girl. She's doing this because she's just kind that way."

"Sounds cool!" Sora stated, grinning at Kirito, "No wonder you like her so much. I heard from Jiminy that you two are a couple in the game." "Huh?" Kirito voiced his surprised. "I told Jiminy that." Yui nervously explained as she popped her head out of Kirito's pocket. Kirito looked down at Yui, then at Asuna, then smiled. "She's...truly someone I care for." He simply replied.

"Well, we can't fall far behind." Sora declared, "Let's get into some training, too!" "Sounds good," Kirito replied, summoning his Oblivion, "You and I can teach each other a few things." "I'll get into this, too!" Donald declared, drawing out his staff. "I'll just make sure you guys don't get hurt." Goofy stated, taking the sidelines. The three then started to spar with one another.

Over the next two days, it was simply like this. They spared with one another, learning new fighting moves from each other, Mulan especially learned. Kirito also started to realize just how strong Sora really was, cause apparently, he wasn't fighting at full strength before. Now, he was even keeping up with Asuna's speed and Kirito's strength. In turn, he wasn't as good in the Valor form as Kirito, but he definitely learned about dual wielding from him.

Kirito started to realize just how useful the spells he was given were. Over time, he learned to use them in battles like Sora, Donald and Asuna. He also learned that while in Valor Form, he couldn't use magic, but that was fine with him.

Asuna, Kirito and Sora kept taking turns teaching Mulan the art of combat. They even went on a few of the missions Shang assigned them. She surprisingly improved quickly in her fighting skills, and was able to keep up with them. It was also obvious that she and Asuna shared a bond with one another, since they were the women of the group.

On the second evening, Asuna was keeping watch while Mulan took a bath in the nearby river. "You're definitely improving in your fighting." she commented, looking above the tall grass. "Thanks," Mulan replied as she scrubbed herself. "I know what you're doing is for your family's honor." Asuna said, "But remember one thing; you must also do this for your own honor as well. Don't ever forget that." Mulan nodded in response. She paused for a second before asking, "Hey Asuna, why did you fight the captain back then? Was it for your honor?"

Asuna had to think about that for a second before replying, "Let's just say I know a boy who showed me the pride of living as who you are." "You mean Kirito?" she asked, getting out of the water and wrapping a towel around her body. "Yeah." she answered, reminiscing on the two years she spent trapped in SAO with Kirito, "Kirito always put he foot down when somebody tried to hurt someones pride and honor, which is why I like him so much." Mulan looked at her, wanting to ask questions, but she dismissed this. "Well, let's go back to the camp" she stated, and the two walked back.

It was early in the afternoon on the next day when they finished the last assignment Shang gave them. The six grouped around the captain, waiting for their results. "You did well." he commended them. "I knew it!" Sora exclaimed. Asuna and Kirito looked at each other and grinned.

"Captain..." Mulan muttered. Shang turned to her. "I suppose you've made a little progress," he said to her. "Not a little, a lot!" Donald squawked. Asuna gave Shang a glare, but Mulan wavered off their words. "No. You're right, captain." she said, "Please give me one more assignment. This time I'll show you what I'm truly made of!" While everyone looked surprised at her words, Kirito and Asuna smiled. She was improving her confidence, and understood that she needed self-discipline.

"I'll give you one more chance." Shang told her. He turned to all of them. "If you are ready, we shall depart. But remember, although this is a test, it is still an important mission, so be alert." "We're ready!" Sora said, full of confidence. Kirito, Donald and Goofy all nodded. "You feeling up to this?" Asuna asked Mulan. "I'm ready to prove myself." she responded. Asuna and her both grinned at one another.

"Then lets get started." Shang told them, "Your mission is to secure the path over the summit so our company can pass. I've authorized you to be let through to the summit. Don't let me down!" "Sir!" the group responded. They took off from the camp and headed for the summit.

**Chapter 4: Climb to the Top**

The six heroes entered the pass and started climbing up it. Kirito heard something in the sky above them, and he looked up to see a hawk pass them by and fly towards the summit. "Hey, what's this?!" Donald asked. Kirito turned to see the a pile of rocks impeding their way. "How will we move all of these in time?" Mulan asked. "The old-fashioned way." Sora responded, pulling his Keyblade out.

He was about to attack when Heartless suddenly came out of nowhere, surrounding Sora. The other five responded by taking their weapons out and knocking them away. "You destroy the wall, we'll handle these!" Kirito told Sora. He nodded and turned to the wall. As the others struck the Heartless down, Sora did a combo of moves onto the wall, and all the boulders shattered into little pieces. "Keep moving!" he called to them, and they proceeded on.

They raced up the pass, dealing with another blockage in the road just as well as the first. As they continued going up, more Heartless kept impeding their path, which were composed of Soldiers, Nightwalkers, and centaur-like Heartless called Assault Riders. Thanks to the couple days of training, Mulan started to fight these guys off like off much better than before. Sora was able to use his Valor Form better than ever. Kirito was not only displaying his sword skills, but his magic skills, too. Asuna swift movements were definitely getting better, as she was unable to be touched by the enemy.

The gang kept going up, taking down a couple of Assault Riders and clearing the last roadblock for the Imperial Army. They waited a while, then suddenly the three guys they fought with before, who they learned were Yao, Ling, and Chien Po, were the first to get to them. "Hey, you ain't half bad." Yao commended Ping and the others. "A man among men!" Ling added. "Thanks." thanked Mulan, slightly surprised at their words of kindness. The three continued on the pass.

Mulan still looked a bit worried though. "But the captain..." she muttered, and suddenly Sora noticed Shang coming with the rest of the men. He walked up to their group. "Ping sure did great!" Goofy implied. "More than great," Asuna corrected him, "Ping sure was a big help to getting us up here!" "You bet he was!" Donald squawked. "Hmm..." hummed the captain, eying Ping, "Fine. I'll let you join my troops, but I'm still not convinced you have what it takes to be a worthy soldier." "Why not?!" Sora asked angrily. "It's all right, Sora." Mulan said, showing her self-discipline side again, "I'll find a way to show the captain what I'm made of. Just give me a chance." "That's the spirit, Ping." Shang stated. "Sir!" Ping cried, and Shang went on his way.

As soon as the captain left, Yao, Ling and Chien Po came out of hiding and walked up to them. Apparently, they were spying on their conversation. "Good going, Ping!" Ling said. "Thanks." Mulan replied. The group all went up the pass together.

They reached a settlement, for which they took refuge in as a rest stop. They spent a couple hours resting their feet, then Mushu told all of them to meet him at one part of the village. They all got together outside next to one of the buildings.

"Okay, girl! Here's your chance!" Mushu told Mulan, "I just saw this real shady guy, and I know it's Shan-Yu." All of the group were shocked. "Shan-Yu?!" repeated Mulan. "That's the Hun leader!" Sora recalled. "The one guy we're really after." Kirito added, "We've got to tell the Captain!" All but Mushu nodded in agreement.

They were about take off when Mushu said, "Waaaait wait-wait-wait WAIT! Everybody use their heads a sec." All looked at him and thought. "Now why are we here?" Mushu asked them, "To make the captain see Mulan's- I mean, Ping's talents and bring honor to her family." Everyone suddenly remembered, and nodded in response. "So, let's go find out where Shan-Yu is, by ourselves." Mushu suggested, "Then, if we're lucky, we can fry him up good! Though just tracking the guy down should earn us our stars, Captain Musclehead will have to notice my girl!"

Everyone turned to Mulan. "Well, the choice is yours, Mulan." Asuna told her, "What do you want to do?" She pondered on the thought for a bit, then she put on a serious face as she answered, "Okay, let's go." "We'll help out." Sora stated. Kirito and Asuna nodded in agreement. "Now we're cookin'!" cheered Mushu, "Now, Shan-Yu is in a cave outside the village!" "How convenient." Asuna stated, "Now let's get moving."

Mushu hopped back with Mulan as the six heroes went outside the village and entered the nearby cave. Inside, they went through a short path, and found themselves in a large, spacious room filled with candles and small things on the walls. This must have been a place for the people in the village said their blessings to the gods. All of the group looked around, but saw nothing. No Shan-Yu, no soldiers, no nothing. It was a dead end.

"There's nobody here..." Donald pointed out. "Your crazy. Check again!" Mushu told them. "Believe me, if some else was here, Mushu, we would've seen him." Kirito told the dragon. "Oh well." Donald sighed as he and Kirito head back the way they came. "Wait for me, ya guys!" Goofy called, following the duo. Sora turned to see them leave. "Hey, hold on!" he cried to them. Asuna, however, wasn't surprised. Why would someone at such a high and powerful stature get noticed so easily? Unless, of course, he thought of them as a threat. In this case...

But her assumption was answered as the cave started to shake, surprising everyone. "What? What is it?" Mushu asked. "I knew it." Asuna concluded, "It's a trap!" The moment she shouted it, the shaking stopped, and suddenly a barrier appeared out of nowhere, separating Donald, Goofy and Kirito from the others.

As Goofy and Donald cried out to them, Kirito heard footsteps and turned around to see a muscular man with a fur hood on walk away. "Who're you?!" he shouted, racing towards him with his Keyblade at hand. The man waved his hand behind him, and another barrier separated him and Kirito. Kirito tried bashing the barrier, but it was useless. Kirito looked at the man who turned to look at him. He laughed at him and walked off outside. "Was that Shan-Yu?" Kirito asked, then he gasped and ran back to the first barrier.

He arrived just in time to see Heartless appear out of nowhere in front of Sora, Asuna and Ping. At the same time, Heartless appeared behind Donald, Goofy and Kirito. Both sides turned to their respected enemies, prepared for a fight.

**Chapter 5: Fight, Flight and Foul Play**

Each side charged at the enemies they were dealing with. Kirito's side was nothing but Soldiers and Nightwalkers, while Sora's side had Shadows and Assault Riders. They drew their weapons and started slicing them down. Goofy and Kirito were basically knocking them away left and right, while Donald kept delivering magic attacks from a distance.

Sora, Asuna and Ping were slicing and dicing at the Heartless as fast as they could. Asuna was doing a series of jabs onto the enemies, but she didn't react in time from the incoming bash of the Assault Rider. The attack sent Asuna crashing to the ground. The Heartless was about to lance her when Mulan showed up and sliced the beast down the middle, eliminating it. "You ok, Asuna?" she asked, reaching her hand down to her. "Yeah, thanks." Asuna replied, grabbing her hand so she could be pulled up, "Nice move there." Mulan smiled at the compliment.

The two girls turned to see Sora take down a series of Shadows with Fire. He then turned and went straight into an uppercut slice on one of the Riders, sending it flying. Sora then placed a well aimed Blizzard at it, then sliced it, making it disappeared. Just as he landed, he saw the last Assault Rider raise itself, ready to strike. But Asuna and Mulan came flying in and did a piercing slash together, causing the Heartless to disappear.

The trio got together again, Mushu came popping out once more. "Nice fighting, Ping!" Sora commended her, "You were amazing." "I have to agree." Asuna seconded, "Mulan, if the captain saw you fight like that, he's bound to give you more respect." Mulan blushed from the two's compliments.

Just then the two barriers disappeared, and Donald, Goofy and Kirito joined up with the group. "You okay?" Goofy asked. "Yep, thanks to Ping." Sora answered. "She saved my life there." Asuna stated to Kirito. "In that case, you have my deepest thanks," Kirito thanked her.

"C'mon! Time to report to the captain!" Mushu declared. "But Shan-Yu wasn't here." Mulan reminded him. "Please! That Hun is old news!" Mushu brushed off, "We're gonna tell the captain how thousands of Heartless stormed the cave, and Ping took out almost every one of em'!"

"Actually, I think I did see him." Kirito said, shutting down Mushu's speech. All of them turned to him. "He was the one who set this whole thing up. I tried to stop him, but I couldn't get to him." He looked down in shame. "Don't worry," Asuna comforted him, "We'll get him next time. The question we need to ask is why he trapped us like that?" They all thought about it, then they all came to the same, scary answer. "The village!" the shouted in unison, and they took off out of the cave.

By the time they got there, it was too late. The village had been attacked. All the buildings were destroyed, rubble was everywhere, and smoke was still coming out here and there. All of them gasped at this horrific sight. They entered the village and looked at the wall next to them. Shang was leaning on one of the walls, badly injured, clutching a wound on his side. He was trying to get to his feet again.

"Captain!" Mulan cried leading the gang over to him. He was breathing heavily as he saw all of them near him. "Don't overdo it, captain!" Sora told him. "Here, use this." Kirito said, pulling a potion out of his pocket and giving it to Shang. "It's just a scratch." he moaned, but he landed on one knee as he fell.

"Captain, the enemy! Where did they go?" Ping asked, bending down to look at him. "They went towards the summit..." Shang replied. Ping stood up straight again and looked at the others. "We'll stop them!" she declared. "It kinda is our fault." Goofy stated. Mushu got to the ground and walked away from the group, looking mournful. "You mean my fault." He corrected Goofy. "Uh-uh!" Donald replied. "We're all the victims here, Mushu." Asuna told him, "You cannot blame yourself for this." "Shan-Yu and the Heartless did this, not us!" Sora stated.

Kirito bent down to look Shang at eye level. "Captain," he said, "if you track down the villagers, we'll handle this." He then raised himself up and he and Sora looked at the remains of the village before turning their sights to the summit. "Let's go." Sora stated, and the group walked off to the summit. They dealt with a few Heartless, along with some small flying enemies called Rapid Thrusters. Finally, they reached the summit.

Once they got there, they looked all around, searching for Shan-Yu. Kirito looked up and saw the same hawk before. Was it following them? The bird took off higher up the mountain, where a lone figure stood. He stood up and looked down at them as the hawk landed on his shoulder. "That's him!" Kirito pointed out, "That's the guy who I saw. It must be Shan-Yu!" Everyone drew their weapons, preparing for a fight.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Heartless suddenly appeared, lots of them. They were all Rapid Thrusters, and they all covered the edge of the summit. Shan-Yu drew his sword, and waved it in front of him. "Attack!" he ordered, and the Heartless charged, one wave after another, charging down the hill. The six heroes charged up the hill at the Heartless, ready to fight the horde.

As soon as they dove into the wave, they all lost sight of one another. They each individually started to strike down the Heartless, one after another. Kirito switched on his Valor form, and started to wale them furiously and rapidly. They could barely see one another through the swarm of Heartless. Then there were the new Heartless in the battle; floating tower-like Heartless, for whom Yui called Bolt Towers, which were a good name because not only they slammed themselves on the ground like mallets and produce shockwaves, but if you were in the air, then they catch you with a laser, and try to zap you. Sora almost got caught in one, but he reversed it's energy, sending it back at the Heartless, and produced a blast that destroyed other Heartless.

After a few minutes of this, the six managed to beat all of the Heartless and gather together again. They looked up and saw that there were still more Heartless. Shan-Yu raised his sword and delivered a war cry as he charged down the mountain, the Heartless following right behind him and the hawk was in the sky above them. The crew were already exhausted from the first assault. They didn't know how to handle the second wave, let alone Shan-Yu.

Suddenly, Yao, Ling and Chien Po came from the ridge to meet them, carrying a rocket. "Stand back!" Yao told them. "We'll handle this!" Ling declared. They placed the mortar down, and was ready to aim the rocket directly at Shan-Yu. Mulan noticed this, then looked at the high peak above the summit, and had an idea.

"Sorry," she said as she elbowed Yao and took the rocket away from him. She charged up the mountain and placed it into the ground once more, this time aiming at the peak. She then remembered she didn't have anything to light the rocket with. Then she saw Mushu, who panicked as he knew what she was thinking. Mulan grabbed Mushu, and forcefully made him produce fire, igniting the rocket. Unfortunately, Mushu landed on top of the rocket a second before it fired. "You're going the wrong way!" he cried as he was sent flying to the summit with the rocket. However, that was exactly where Mulan aimed at.

The moment the rocket made impact the loose snow on the peak started to fall, creating an avalanche. "Yes!" Ping cheered. "Your crazy!" exclaimed Kirito. "Captain?" Sora said, seeing Shang come up from the ridge. Mulan turned and saw him, and realized they were all in danger. "Look out!" she cried, running away from the incoming avalanche.

The wave of snow came billowing down the mountain, enveloping all of the Heartless as it went. Shan-Yu tried to outrun it, but he too was swallowed up by the snow. Mulan grabbed Shang and took off away from the incoming snow. Everyone else followed, panicking. They all barely dived out of the way just in time, for the avalanche came flying down, over the cliff they were near to, bringing Shan-Yu and all the Heartless with it.

Once it was over, Shang and Mulan sat up again, breathing heavily. They turned to each other. "Thanks, Ping." the captain said to her. "It...was nothing." She replied, putting on her deep voice as she stood up. Shang stood up with her. "I should never have doubted you." he told her, "From now on, you have my trust." "Thank you, captain." Ping replied, happy to be gratified, but the moment was short-lived.

Mushu suddenly came popping out of the snow near them, and knocked all the snow out of his ears. "First she uses me as a lighter, then she turns me into a cannon ball. The head ancestor's gonna hear about this." Mushu complained, not realizing he was near Shang, "You know, that's it! I give up! I can't take this no more. C'mon, Mulan, let's quit this charade and go home girl." "Mushu!" Mulan whispered to him, but it was too late. Mushu turned and saw Shang standing there, and covered his mouth. "Mulan?" he repeated, contemplating this, "A woman? It can't be!" Mulan didn't want to look at him, for he finally knew the truth.

"Ping! Captain!" Sora cried as he and the others came to meet them. Shang turned to them, looking angry. "Oh boy, you're okay!" Goofy said optimistically. "Is something the matter, captain?" Kirito asked, looking at both him and Mulan behind him. "You all knew, didn't you?" he accused them, "You knew Ping was really a woman in disguise." They all looked to find a way to answer him, but it was Asuna who came forward and answered, "Yes. It was to protect her family's honor." They all looked at her, then up at Shang, who turned to Mulan.

"I can't believe you lied to me." he scolded her as he walked away and turned his back to her, "The punishment for high treason and dishonoring the Army is death." Mulan turned to him, who only turned his head to them. "Get out of my sight, now!" he ordered, "You're all dismissed." "But captain..." Sora muttered. He turned his head away from them. "My debt is repaid." he finished, then he walked away.

Mulan looked down in shame as Sora and the others rushed to her side. Shang turned to the rest of the army. "The Emperor is waiting!" he said to them, "Move out!" he led the Army down the mountain, and out of the heroes' sight.

**Chapter 6: Saving China**

The moment they left, Mushu climbed onto Mulan's shoulders as she sighed. "Mulan, I blew it." he said in remorse. Mulan shook her head in response. "Sorry about that." Asuna told her, looking ashamed for confessing before. "Don't be." Mulan responded, "I'm glad you were with me there in the end." Asuna vaguely smiled at her for her kindness.

"I think I should get out of this armor." she added, looking at her uniform. Asuna turned to the boys, and gave them a look to say that they should turn around while she's dressing. They did so, and Mulan shed the armor, revealing she had clothes on underneath, which were greyish-tan and with green lining, brown pants, and was made for martial arts. Asuna told them it was ok to look, and they turned to see her loosen the band off her hair, letting it down.

She turned back to all of them. "Thank you everyone." she told them, "Sorry I got you into trouble." "It's no big deal." Sora responded. "It was bound to happen." Kirito said bluntly. "Still," Asuna said as she looked sternly as her boyfriend, "I'm sure you are gonna be alright. Besides, you just saved China from a tyrant. You should be proud of that!" Mulan nodded, but didn't smile, then turned to walk away.

"So Ping, I mean, Mulan," Sora corrected himself, "what're you gonna do now?" "Go back home." She responded as she walked away with Mushu. "Your daddy's gonna be steamed as a chicken dumpling." Mulan realized that, and looked a bit worried, but Asuna and Kirito came to her.

"Hey, it's ok." she said consolingly, "We'll come with you and explain it all." "And relax," Sora added, pulling Donald and Goofy into his arms, "we'll take our share of the blame." Mulan turned and smiled at them all. "Thanks," she replied, "You're all wonderful friends." All of them grouped together, preparing to move out once more down the mountain. Asuna grabbed ahold of Mulan's hand as a sign of friendship as they walked.

As they were crossing the ridge, Shan-Yu's hawk came flying over them, going towards the sight where the avalanche landed. It was just circling it when suddenly a hand came popping out of it. Then Shan-Yu came out of the snow, breathing heavily as he was almost suffocated. He knelt down for a short while, then let out a angry roar. The group heard the cry, and turned to where it came from.

Heartless were popping out of the air next to him, but their numbers have been greatly reduced thanks to the avalanche. Shan-Yu stood up just as his hawk landed on his shoulders. He looked at the Heartless remaining, then turned to the large city he saw from a distance.

Meanwhile, Sora, Asuna and Mulan knelt down and saw him down below. "Shan-Yu!" Mulan gasped. "He's alive!" Sora exclaimed. "That guy doesn't know when to quit!" Asuna said, amazed at his perseverance. "He's heading for the Imperial City!" Mulan stated, "We've got to warn Shang!" Sora nodded in response, and they stood up. Asuna turned to Mulan. "I think it's time you show them what your true honor and pride is, Mulan." She told her, "Let's stop Shan-Yu once and for all, and save China!" She and Sora nodded in agreement, and the troop ran off down the mountain.

It only took them a couple of hours, but they got down the mountain hastily. They ran out the pass, through the checkpoint, and along the path that led to the Imperial City.

They got there just as Shang and the remainder of the Army passed through the palace gates. They rushed as fast as they could to the front of the line, where Shang led. "Shang!" Mulan called out, making him stop. Mulan and the others got right to one side of him. "Shan-Yu is alive!" she told him, "He's headed this way!" "And why should I believe you this time?" Shang asked unconvincingly. "But, she's telling you the truth!" Sora stated. "Why don't you actually open your eyes and ears for a second, and actually trust her?!" Asuna said sternly at the captain.

Suddenly, Kirito heard a familiar cry and looked up. "There!" he shouted, pointing at the hawk in the sky. Shang saw it and started to look around, trying to find its' master. It circled around them, then flew over onto one of the palace rooftops, where Shan-Yu stood there, grinning maliciously at them before dropping down.

Shang waved his hand to his troops in a forward signal. "Guard the palace!" he declared as Yao, Ling and Chien Po ran past him, "Do not let the enemy get anywhere near the Emperor! That's an order!" He turned to the remainder of his troops, as they were surrounded by a black aura. Suddenly, they vanished, and in their place, Heartless appeared. Kirito was frightened as he saw this, realizing that it was exactly like in his dreams. Shang gasped in horror of what happened to his men. Sora, Asuna and Mulan all raised their weapons as they stepped in front of the captain.

"Captain! We'll secure the courtyard, and you can save the Emperor!" Sora ordered him. He was hesitant about leaving them. "That's an order!" squawked Donald. Shang looked at them, then nodded in acknowledgement and took off, leaving the six heroes surrounded by a variety of Heartless, their weapons raised. They all charged at them, taking them down one by one.

Mulan, now out of the armor, was now much swifter and stronger than before. She was less clumsy, and her ariel assaults were much better. She was even able to work with Mushu to produce fiery attacks from breathing fire to charging at opponents, enveloped in Mushu's flames. Asuna definitely preferred her like this, and they started to do stronger combos together.

They finished the battle in the courtyard and gathered together again. "The Emperor's in danger!" Mulan stated. "No time to lose!" Sora replied. "Quick! To the palace!" Kirito declared, and the group charged up the stairs to the entrance.

When they got up the stairs, they saw the Emperor standing there, and Shan-Yu right beside him, his sword place over his neck. "Now you'll bow to me." he growled into the Emperor's ear, then he turned at the sound of footsteps, and saw the six heroes staring at him. He was distracted by them long enough for Shang to leap in, slam his hand into his chin, and shove him down, allowing the Emperor to escape. Shang led the Emperor into the palace, where Yao, Ling and Chien Po closed the door behind them.

Shan-Yu got up and was about to go after them, but the others impeded his path to the door. He stopped in his tracks then stared at them. "It ends now." Mulan declared. "Right now!" Asuna added. The hawk landed on Shan-Yu's shoulder. He then chuckled menacingly as a black aura surrounded him. "His heart's been blackened by the Heartless!" Sora stated as Heartless started to pop up around him, "He's gonna be tough to beat."

He was about to attack when Asuna and Mulan stepped forward in front of the group. "We'll handle Shan-Yu!" Asuna told them, "You guys take care of all the Heartless." "Don't let them break the palace door open!" Mulan declared. "R-right!" Sora replied, not use to seeing someone take away a fight like this. He turned to his other companions, who all nodded in agreement, then they dispersed, attacking the incoming Heartless.

Asuna and Mulan readied their weapons as they glared at Shan-Yu, who readied his sword for combat, the black aura still surrounding him. Then all at once they charged. The battle had begun.

**Chapter 7: Asuna & Mulan vs. Shan-Yu**

As Sora and Goofy went to one side and Donald and Kirito went another, Asuna and Mulan went straight towards Shan-Yu. Asuna went in first, way-laying him with a barrage of jabs, but Shan-Yu was parrying them and sent Asuna backwards with brute force. Mulan came in and slashed him when he was open. She ducked his sideslash and left him open Asuna's Blizzard attack, blasting him backwards. Asuna and Mulan grouped up and charged at him again.

Meanwhile, Sora, Kirito, Goofy and Donald were easily defeating the Heartless on either side. Both Sora and Kirito entered their Valor forms, and completely destroy them in without effort. However, they did keep coming up every once in a while, so there was no board moment. Kirito had enough time to glance over at Asuna's battle, and see her and Mulan back each other up as they fought.

Shan-Yu, now furious, grabbed Mulan by the neck and sent her flying backwards. "Mulan!" Asuna cried, but she instantly turned and blocked Shan's sword with her own, coincidently entering a grapple. Shan was overpowering Asuna in strength, and was pushing her back. "You think you can overpower me, female?" he growled at her. "Watch me!" She spat, and she braced her feet as she started to push back on him, causing him to skid back. Finally, she parried his sword to one side and spun into a sideways slash, sending him toppling backwards.

She was about to strike once more when she felt herself being lifted off the ground. She looked up and saw the hawk lift her helplessly into the sky. She struggled hard to free herself, but he hawk was unusually strong because it shared the same aura as Shan-Yu, who was getting to his feet and grinning at Asuna. "Farewell, woman." he sneered, and he charged with sword, ready to stab Asuna.

Mulan came out of nowhere, and had Mushu blow flames onto the hawk, who dropped Asuna just in time for her to block his attack. She landed to one knee on the ground, with the hawk falling to the ground in flames, and Mulan landed right on her other side. "You ok?" she asked. "That's the second time you saved me from getting stabbed." she counted, grinning at Mulan.

She got to her feet, and the two looked at Shan-Yu, who parted his arms out, producing several Heartless surrounding them. They stood back to back, their swords at the ready. "You need a fiery dragon's hand?" Mushu asked smugly. "We'd be happy to." Asuna responded, and the trio combined their strength together.

Mushu started by firing a barrage of fireballs at the start, then the other two went in. While Asuna leapt toward the enemies enveloped in flames, Mulan kept delivering fireballs from her hand. They went on like this, going one after another. Finally, Mushu finished it by sent a volley of large fireballs into the air, and the trio got together again as the fireballs came exploding down to the ground like meteors all around them. The attack took out all the Heartless around them, and even hit Shan-Yu.

"Woah! Awesome move there!" Sora praised as he saw the whole thing. "How in the world did they do that?" Kirito asked, amazed at what he just saw. "When the two worked together like that, they produced a powerful Limit move." Yui explained, "It's one of the many gifts of the Keyblade." "That is pretty impressive." Kirito said quietly, staring at his Oblivion before continuing the fight.

The two girls stared at the spot Shan-Yu stood, waiting to see if he was alive. He was apparently, cause a burst of dark aura spurted out of him, making him stronger, and did a full on charge at the two girls, sending them flying in pain. Then he jumped up and did a spiral slash on the both of them, causing the two to fall to the ground, injured from his attack.

As Asuna tried to stand up, she saw Shan-Yu stare at the two of them. "You women are pathetic." he sneered, "You think you're strength alone is enough to stop me, Shan-Yu? I can defeat you two without the Heartless easily. Face it, women don't have the right to call themselves 'soldiers'. They are weak, and helpless. And I'll start by proving my point...with you." he pointed his sword at Mulan, who was attempting to get up. He raised his sword, about to cut her head off. Mulan looked up in horror, Mushu just as frightened.

Suddenly, a Blizzard attack came from behind him, and hit Shan-Yu square in the back. He turned to see Sora stand there, his Keyblade pointing at him. "You leave Mulan alone!" he yelled at him. Shan-Yu glared at his attacker, and was distracted enough for Asuna to slide a potion over to Mulan, who took it and drank it. Asuna did the same.

Shan-Yu hadn't walked five steps before Mulan and Asuna called out, "Hey!" He turned to see them standing up, back to back, glaring at him. "You think women are weak, huh?" Asuna asked him. "Sorry, but the fact that you think that is what makes you weak." "It doesn't matter whether you are a man or a woman." Mulan stated, "What matters is how much honor and pride you have, and what you use it for!"

The two charged simultaneously at Shan-Yu, and they clashed with his raised sword. Asuna came in and did a low sweep on him, causing him to fall back. Mulan followed this by sending a fiery slash on him, sending him flying into the palace door and fall to the ground.

He got back up, furious, and started to charge with that dark aura around him, his sword raised outward. The two girls charged at him, screaming in unison. "For China!" Mulan shouted. "For our pride!" Asuna cried, and the two made a slash on either side of him.

For a minute, the three stopped neither one making a move. Then as the two whipped their swords down, dropped his sword and fell to the ground, dead. The two girls looked around and realized that they won. They smiled brightly at one another as they gave a high-five. "You did it!" Sora cheered, raising his Keyblade into the air. Both Donald and Goofy were jumping for joy at their victory. Kirito smiled broadly, proud of Asuna and Mulan. They grouped together, happily celebrating their victory.

Something also appeared in front of Asuna. It was a black keychain with a gold medallion with a dragon symbol at the end of it. "What's this?" she asked, staring at the chain. "Oh, that's what you use if you want to switch your Keyblade around." Sora answered, "Just switch the keychains on the end to have it change form. Each Keyblade is strong in their own way." "It looks like that the Keyblade this one belongs to is called the 'Hidden Dragon'." Yui explained, staring at the keychain. "I sure have a long way to go in figuring out the powers of the Keyblade." Asuna remarked, deciding to put it in her pocket for safe keeping.

Mushu jumped down and started skipping around them. "Now that's what I call burning some hunny-bun!" he quoted gleefully, "Aw, yeah! Mulan's the best! Mulan's the best! No, wait a minute-I'm the best! Mushu's the best! Mushu's the best!" Mulan and Asuna heard his chant and giggled. This was truly a victory for them.

**Chapter 8: Parting Prideful Ways**

After the battle was over, the six of them found themselves standing at the top of the staircase, standing at attention in front of Shang and the Emperor. A huge crowd of people were down below, watching the scene unfold. The Emperor walked toward them, specifically towards Mulan.

"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan." he said. Mulan stepped forward and bowed her head low to the Emperor. "You stole your father's armor," He accused her, "ran away from home, impersonated an Imperial soldier. You deceived your commanding officer, shamed the entire Chinese army, and dishonored your family name." "We get the picture..." Sora moaned. "Just get it over with already." Asuna sighed. "You're a young woman." The Emperor continued, "And in the end..." Donald moaned as Kirito and Goofy waited baited breath to see what happens. "...You have saved us all." The Emperor finished, and now he bowed to Mulan, who looked up and was taken aback from what the Emperor was doing.

Suddenly, the large crowd behind them started to cheer for Mulan and the others. The gang turned to one another and started to smile as they realized what this meant. They all whooped for joy in victory, even Asuna and Kirito hugged one another as Yui started to fly above their heads. "I told you it would work out!" Asuna stated, looking at Mulan as she turned to the Emperor. "Your Excellency!" she addressed.

"Captain Li?" The Emperor asked, and Shang to him, then pulled out Shan-Yu's sword and delivered it to Mulan. "Take this," the Emperor told her, "so the world will know what it is you have done for China." "Thank you." Mulan replied, bowing to him once more.

"Mulan." Shang addressed. "Yes?" Mulan replied. "Sora. Kirito. Donald. Goofy. Asuna." He said to each person, "Thank you." Shang bowed to them, but the Emperor leaned back to him. "'Thank you'?" He echoed. "Is that all there is to say, Captain? If you wish to win the heart of Fa Mulan, China's bravest woman, you'll have to be a bit more eloquent than that!" Shang seemed flustered as the Emperor laughed. Mulan started to laugh silently at the joke as Sora, Kirito and Asuna stepped next to her. "Can I get an autograph?" Sora asked amusingly. "Make that three." Asuna added as she giggled with Kirito.

"Thanks for everything, Sora, Kirito, Asuna." She looked at Asuna specifically as she continued, "If you hadn't done what you did, I don't know what I would've done." "Hey, you would've done ok on your own." Asuna assured her, "We just made the process faster, that's all." The two looked at each other, smiling at one another. They two really got close in this journey.

Mushu hopped down off of Mulan and started pacing. "Now they gotta let me go back to bein' a guardian! They GOTTA!" he said out loud. "But Mushu, I thought you already were a family guardian!" Goofy reminded him. "What? oh, no, no," he corrected him, "don't even worry about that, that's just real technical. Just for us guardians." "You tricked us!" Sora accused him angrily. "That's it, your gonna get it!" Kirito declared, and the two started to chase after Mushu as he ran away from them.

Suddenly, Shan-Yu's sword started to glow a bright light in Mulan's hands. She let go of it in panic, and it started to float in the air. "Is that...?" Asuna started to say, but it was blatantly obvious what it was, "Hey Kirito! Sora! Look!" The two boys stopped and turned to see the sword fly upward, realize what it meant. Asuna walked to them, and the trio nodded together.

They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the floating sword glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into what looked like a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the sword suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

"Okay!" Donald cheered. "Guess it's about time to be movin' on." Goofy assumed. "You shall be missed." the Emperor told them. The trio of Keyblade wielders looked back as the Emperor, Shang and Mulan. "Is it okay if we come back to visit?" Sora asked. "Of course." Mulan responded as Shang stepped forward. "We will look forward to your return." Shang stated. "You two play nice." Sora told them. "Whoa...watch it, soldier!" Shang stammered as he and Mulan blushed in embarrassment.

As Sora went back to Donald and Goofy, Asuna walked up to Mulan. "I hope I see you again really soon." Asuna told her. "I hope so too, Asuna." she responded, and the two girls hugged each other. Asuna let go and went back to Kirito who waited for her. "Better?" he asked her. "Much better." Asuna answered, "I proved my point in this world." "Hey, you don't need to prove your point to me." Kirito pointed out, "I know your the strongest girl I know." "Thank, Kirito." she responded, kissing Kirito on the cheek as they joined the others.

Mushu got back onto Mulan's shoulders as the two giggled at one another. "Goodbye, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna!" she said to them as they walked away. It was about time for the five heroes to head out to their next adventure.

**Well, pretty interesting, huh? Asuna got her role in this story, and now you know how they swap around their Keyblades; by switching the chains. It was an idea that came from the author 'Kingdom Cure', so I should thank him for that. Next up is Beast's Castle, and I'm not sure how it will affect Kirito and Asuna, but I'll come up with something. Thanks for reading and wait for the next update!**


	7. Ep 5: Beast's Castle! Trusting Bonds!

**Chapter 1: The Dark Castle**

It took them several hours for the Gummi ship to arrive to their next destination, during of which they had to endure another special gates with hundreds of Heartless. They made it out of there intact, well their ship intact anyways, and were now nearing the atmosphere of another world. They all saw through the monitor what it looks like.

"I can definitely see a castle." Asuna pointed out. "Seem's like that's the focal point we must go to." Kirito added. "I've read a little bit about that place." Yui told them, sitting on Kirito's shoulder, "Apparently, a prince once was there, but now he and his servants are all cursed, transformed into weird things." "Hmm, sounds like we should be cautious." Sora stated, walking the group to the transporter. "Cautious about what? The Heartless, the Nobodies, or the curse?" Kirito asked. "All of them." Donald answered as he was the last to get on. Yui set up the teleportation device and flew over to them just as the machine lit up, sending them down to the surface.

When they appeared, they found themselves at the large front door into the castle. From the outside, it was dark and eerie, as if it was abandoned a long time ago. Donald and Goofy opened the door and headed in without even knocking. Sora, Kirito and Asuna followed shortly behind. When they entered, they found themselves in a large entrance hall. It too looked abandoned, and was dark and eerie. At the end, there were flights of stairs that led to another set of double doors, and side stairs on either side that curved up to the second floor.

Sora closed the door behind him as Kirito and Asuna joined Donald and Goofy. The gang looked around at the place, interested and nervous. "Hey, what is this place?" Sora asked, walking towards them. "It's huge!" Donald gasped. "Yeah, huge and dark." Asuna added. "And sorta gloomy, don't ya think?" Goofy asked. "I wonder who would live in a place like this?" Kirito asked. He got his answer quite quickly after he asked.

Suddenly, a loud, beastly roar came out of nowhere, filling the room and scaring the quintet. "What was that?!" Asuna asked nervously, pulling her Keyblade out. "A Heartless?" suggested Kirito, also pulling his Oblivion out and staring around. "Hey, does anybody else recognize that?" Goofy asked Sora and Donald. The two stopped looking around and heard the roar again. Finally, Sora remembered.

"Hey! That's the Beast!" he realized. "Yeah!" Donald agreed. "The Beast?" Kirito and Asuna asked. "Yep, the Beast helped up back when we fought the Heartless before." Goofy explained. "Seriously?" Asuna asked. "What kind of guy is he?" Kirito asked. "Maybe we should check up on him and introduce you to him." Goofy suggested.

They all were about to do so when Sora noticed a shadow cross the floor. A Heartless Shadow. "Look!" he shouted, pointing at it as it crawled away into a nearby room. "C'mon!" Donald cried, and the gang took off after the Heartless. As soon as they got to the room, Donald popped his head in and looked around. "Where did it go?" he asked. Then the rest of the gang entered the room. It was a parlor of some sorts, with a nice fireplace that was still burning. Someone was here recently. On one table, there was a plate with a glass cover, and in it stood, or rather floated, a beautiful, glowing red rose.

Donald was attracted to the rose, and started waddle towards it, Asuna following behind. "It's so pretty." she stated as she got a closer look. Donald was about to reach up and grab it when suddenly the Shadow appeared in front of him, causing Donald to recoil in fright. "Found it!" he squawked. Asuna pulled her Oathkeeper, ready to take it down. However, it wasn't the only one that appeared. Countless others started to surround the five, backing them in the middle of the horde. Each pulled out there weapon, ready for combat.

As soon as it started, Kirito didn't waste anytime, and went into Valor Form. He then charged in and started way-laying the Shadows. All of the others also joined in, but they weren't nearly as destructive as Kirito. "He gonna explode with all that fighting!" Sora exclaimed as he had a brief look at Kirito sending several Heartless into the air. However, all that fighting didn't seem enough. Every time one vanished, another one always kept appearing. They kept going and going, not even sure if it would end.

After ten minutes of this, all of them grouped up together right next to the table where the rose was at. More Shadows appeared in front of them, and Kirito just went to his normal form, and was breathing heavily from all the fighting. "Damn, there's no end to them!" he panted, seeing them come closer. "Aw c'mon, enough already." Sora moaned. "We need some assistance right about now." Asuna stated, "I just hope your friend, Beast, can hear us." "Somebody help us!" Donald shouted desperately.

Someone did hear them, cause the doors suddenly flew wide open, and Kirito and Asuna couldn't help but gasp. It was as if a man had a characteristic of every animal out there, and combined them into one body. He was big, hairy, and a total monster. He had horns, he had claws, he sharp teeth, and he had a worn purple tail and blue pants on, with a slit for his tail to pop out. Did I mention he was standing upright?

While Sora, Donald and Goofy were happy to see him, Asuna and Kirito were quite frightened of him. They have seen a lot of monsters in SAO, but this was different because it was real. They fully understood why he was called the Beast now. He walked in and down the steps into the room. Heartless tried to attack him, but he took them out each with one swipe of his claws, acting like an animal as he did it. _He's so strong!" _Asuna and Kirito thought.

He looked around to see if there were any others, then walked over to the five. "Just in time!" Sora waved to him. Beast didn't respond to him, but instead shoved him to one side. Donald and Goofy were totally shocked by this behavior, and were also pushed aside by Beast. "Hey!" Kirito barked, getting in front of his path and getting into a fighter's stance, "What're you doing that for?!" "No! Kirito!" Sora cried, raising his head to him. Kirito looked at Sora for a brief moment, then the Beast swung his claw, sending him flying into Asuna and the two toppled over.

He walked over to the table where the rose in the glass lid was at, and picked it up so gently. He nuzzled it like it was his newborn child, and carried it off out of the parlor, and didn't even take a glance at the five friends on the floor as he walked out the door, and out of sight.

Sora, Donald and Goofy all got up and watched him leave. Asuna threw Kirito off of her as she sat up. "What was that all about?" she asked, getting to her feet with Kirito. "Gee, do ya think he maybe forgot who we are?" Goofy asked. "With this many Heartless around, something must be up." Sora concluded. "Why'd he have to do that?" Donald asked, rubbing his face from the place the Beast shoved him.

"He's a monster," Kirito answered, walking towards the group, "What'd you expect?" Sora whipped his head to him angrily. "Beast is not a monster!" he retorted, "He's our friend!" "Sure didn't seem that way when he shoved us aside." Kirito argued, looking out the door, "Whatever kindness you see in him, he sure didn't display it now." "Which is why I say that something must be wrong with him." Sora stated, "He's a kind person on the inside. Trust me." "Usually, I would, but..." Kirito responded, "...well, how do you know that this isn't what he's really like?" Sora was shocked at Kirito's words, and gritted his teeth. Both boys frowned at each other, Donald and Goofy looking worried that they would start fighting. "Stop it, Papa!" Yui squeaked, flying in front of Kirito, "We mustn't fight like this. Why don't you trust Sora on this part." "Out of the way, Yui." Kirito told her, "I don't want you intruding on this one." Yui looked worryingly at her papa's angered expression, and Sora looked just as ticked off.

"Enough, the both of you!" Asuna cut in, pushing the two of them away from one another, "Listen, Sora, from what we saw, Kirito makes a sound argument. We don't know the Beast before now, so we don't know him as well." "But..." Sora started to say, but Asuna continued, "However, if you are right in believing that he is kind, then you are right to say that something is wrong with him right now."

"So what, you plan on taking this risk on being friends with that 'thing'?" Kirito scowled. "He's not a thing!" Sora shouted, and the two were about to go around Asuna when she cried out, "_Fire!_" A burst of flames surrounded her, causing the two to back away from her.

"Listen, Kirito," Asuna said as she turned her head to him, "Let's just trust Sora for right now. That doesn't mean we can't be cautious as we're approaching this situation." She turned to Sora. "Both of you boys need to cool off for the moment, all right?" The two looked at each other, glowering at one another, then they nodded in unison. "Good." Asuna finished as her flames died out, "Now let's go find him again." Sora led the way out, Kirito made sure he was behind the crowd so as not to get near Sora. "Hey, Goofy," Asuna drew the animated dog's attention, "You think we'll be able to prove that Beast is a kind person?" "Yep," he answered, "Beast may look scary, but he is kind. We'll prove it to ya'!" "I hope so." She responded, turning to Kirito, who was glaring at the back of Sora's head, "The last thing we need is a dispute amongst ourselves."

**Chapter 2: The Beautiful Belle**

The group stepped out of the parlor and back out into the entrance hall. Sora then noticed Donald staring up the stairs. "What is it, Donald?" he asked. The grouped all stared at him. "I just know I saw a lady at the top of those stairs." Donald answered. The group looked up the right-hand stairs. No one was there. "Are you sure it wasn't a figment of your imagination?" Kirito asked. Sora shot a despicable look at him. "Well..." Goofy started, "If the Beast is here in the castle, that lady musta been Belle, right?" "Yeah, maybe so." Sora answered.

"Who's Belle?" Asuna asked. "Beast's girlfriend." Goofy answered simply. "That Beast has a girlfriend?" Kirito asked sarcastically, "Man this world just keeps getting better and better!" He was trying to imagine a female version of the Beast, wondering what she is like. "Kirito, stop it." Asuna cut him off, elbowing him in the gut.

"Belle might know what's happened to the Beast, too." Sora suggested, trying to ignore Kirito's words. "C'mon! Let's go find her!" Goofy declared, and the five of them ran up the staircase to the East Wing corridor, fighting bat-like Heartless called 'Hook Bats' along the way.

They went down to the end of the hallway, where a separate set of doors was at. Sora started to walk to the door quietly, and turned to the others and made a signal to be quiet. Then all but Kirito started to tiptoe to the door, trying to listen in. Just then they heard a female voice moan, "Oh, what am I going to do?" Sora went to one side of the door while the others were at the other end, and made an indication that one of them should open the door. Donald chose to do it, but it wasn't how Sora wanted it.

He walked a few paces away, and turned to the door. "Okay," he muttered, and he was preparing to barge into the door! "Donald, wait!" cried Sora, but it was too late. Donald went full long into the door. It opened up easily for him, and he fell into the room face first. The others peered into the room as Donald looked up. "Hey! Who opened the door?" he asked angrily. Then he saw a woman in front of him, and Kirito, looking it, saw her and opened his mouth. She was a beautiful woman, with long brown hair that was tied back with a blue bow, which matched her dress. The rest of her attire were a white shirt, apron and black shoes.

She was at first startled at Donald's abrupt appearance, but then she was pleased. "Oh, I'm so happy you are here." she said, reaching down and picking up Donald into a hug, "Donald!" The other four stood at the doorway as Donald struggled in Belle's arms. "Sora! Goofy!" Belle said, noticing two of them. "Hiya." Sora greeted as he and Goofy waved their hands. Kirito and Asuna looked in, the idea of Beast's girlfriend disappeared from Kirito's mind. "Put me down! Put me down!" squawked Donald, and Belle put the duck down, who's eyes were spinning.

The group entered as Donald gained focus again. Belle looked at the two people she didn't know. "You must be Belle, right?" Asuna asked, "My name is Asuna, and this Kirito. Were friends of Sora." "In that case, it's very nice to meet the two of you." she said, looking more as Kirito's surprised expression. Asuna turned, saw the look he had, and elbowed him again, setting him straight. "Oh, I-I'm really sorry." he stammered, "It's just that, well..." "You didn't think Beast's girlfriend would be so beautiful?" Asuna finished, looking shamefully at Kirito, who repressed the urge to say 'be a human'.

Asuna looked back at Belle, and bowed deeply. "I'm really sorry about Kirito's attitude," she said apologetically, "We just met the Beast, and he wasn't very pleasant to us, so he's a bit skeptical." Belle waved her hands in front of her. "It's all right." she answered, "He isn't really in the best of moods these days." "Where's the Beast?" Donald asked. "Oh, he must be in the west wing." she answered, looking a little sad, "We don't talk like we used to."

"Did something happen?" Sora asked. "Yes." Belle nodded, "Isn't that why you're here?" The five of them looked at one another before Goofy answered, "Not exactly. But we can still help!" "Since we're here and all." Sora added. Asuna sharply looked at Kirito and gave him a look that made him nod in agreement.

"The Beast won't talk to you?" Donald asked. Belle shook her head. "He's been acting strange lately." she explained to them, "The only ones who might know why are locked up in the dungeon. I want to help them, but..." "The Heartless?" Kirito guessed. Belle nodded.

"Wait a second." Sora said abruptly, "Who locked who up?" "The Beast locked up his servants." Belle answered. "But why?" Donald and Asuna asked in unison. "That's what I don't know." Belle responded. "hmm." hummed Sora, then he asked, "Where's this dungeon?" "You can get to the undercroft from the west hall." Belle directed them, "The dungeon is down there." "West hall. Got it." Sora repeated. "Be careful!" Belle warned, and Sora gave her a thumbs up.

They were all leaving when Kirito stopped in his tracks. He then turned to Belle, and asked what he was thinking when he first saw her. "Hey, what do you see in the Beast?" he asked bluntly, "I know he's not one to look at, but still, is he really as nice as Sora says, cause I'm not too sure." The others stared back at Kirito, surprised from what came out of his mouth. Belle looked at Kirito for a while, then smiled. "I understand your concerns about the Beast, Kirito." she said considerately, "The first time I met him, I was thinking the same way. It's true that he wasn't the nicest person to be around, but he learned to be kind through time, and is trying to be so. That's why I think something is wrong with him, and that you guys should find out why."

Kirito had to think about Belle's words. "I don't know." he answered softly, "I mean, I want to believe you guys, but..." he stopped mid-sentence. Belle walked over and place Kirito's hands in hers. "It's ok," she comforted him, "Once you find out what's wrong with the Beast, you'll understand." Kirito looked at Belle's eyes, and saw the truthfulness in her words. He also blushed a bit, for was pretty. He nodded, and turned to the others. He walked past the group, and down the hall. The gang looked at one another, then followed him, leaving Belle to watch them leave.

As soon as they left the east wing and started going down the staircase, Kirito stopped and looked up at Sora. "Listen," he stated, "I'm neither gonna trust your judgement about him nor be firm with what I saw from the Beast before. I'll assume that there is something wrong with him, and I'll only make an assumption after we figure out what's wrong. Okay?" Donald, Goofy and Asuna looked nervously at Sora, who's expression was blank for a second, then he answered with a smile, "Trust me, you'll learn to like the Beast. He's not a bad person." "That remains to be seen." Kirito answered blankly, and he continued down the steps.

Some Hook Bats got in front of him, but he whipped out his Keyblade and sliced them up effortlessly before continuing. Yui flew out of Kirito's pocket and flew over to Asuna's side. "You sure things will be ok?" she asked her mama. Asuna nodded to her with a smile, but inside, she was still not sure.

**Chapter 3: The Wardrobe and the Thresholder**

Kirito led the gang up the left-hand stairs, taking down Heartless without even trying, and went through the doors to the west wing. The hallways on this side were much bigger, brighter and grander. There were knights on each side of the hall. It was obvious someone was taking good care of this place.

The five of them walked down the corridor and rounded the corner in the wing. They saw a flight of stairs but there were large, heavily armored knights blocking the path at the top. There was also, what looked like, a wardrobe on the opposite side end of the room from the stairs.

"There should be a way into the undercroft around here..." Sora guessed, looking around. "Hey, let's try that door?" Asuna asked, walking toward the only door along the hallway. She walked up to the wardrobe blocking the door and looked at it. It looked heavy, and it was made of wood by the looks of it, and well decorated.

"Somebody help me move this." Asuna asked the group. Kirito acknowledged, and he started to move the wardrobe to one side until the door was revealed. "There it is!" Sora declared. Kirito was about to open the door when suddenly, the wardrobe turned to him, and a face was on it! I'm not kidding, it had eyes, a nose, a mouth, even rosy cheeks. It was a women's face, and it was staring down at the group. "Do you mind?!" she asked him, causing Kirito to stagger back in surprise. She then hopped back into her spot, blocking the door again and fall asleep.

For a while, the group froze, surprised by what just happened. "Did...did that wardrobe...just talk?" Asuna asked slowly. "It turned to us...and it had a face." Kirito described, slightly shocked at this. "What the hell is this?!" the cried in unison, their voices shouting in unison. Sora, Donald and Goofy shushed them. "You might get the Heartless to come after us." Donald told them. "Or wake this wardrobe up." Goofy added. "Wardrobes aren't even suppose to wake up!" Kirito retorted in a whisper, "They're suppose to be inanimate objects, for crying out loud!" "Well, this is more proof that we are in a different dimension." Asuna said exasperatedly, rubbing her head. "Don't remind me," Kirito sighed.

"Well, whatever it is, we have to move it so we can enter the undercroft." Sora said, going to one side of the wardrobe. "Ok, but be careful, Sora." Goofy told him, "We mustn't wake it up." This would be a conversation Kirito and Asuna would have if they were in a weird dream of some sort, but not in real life. Sora started to move the wardrobe slowly but surely. A couple times it stirred, but Sora stopped moving it at those times until it fell asleep again. The group watched with baited breath as he moved it.

Sora had just got it out of the way when Donald looked like he was about to sneeze. Goofy panicked, and snapped Donald's beak shut. Sora, Kirito and Asuna sighed in relief, then Goofy made a loud sneeze. _Typical!_ Kirito thought to himself. This woke up the wardrobe, and she yawned as she looked at the five of them.

"And I was just starting to get comfortable..." she moaned, "May I help you?" "Huh? What?" Sora questioned, quite transfixed at the wardrobe, too, then he remembered, "Oh, right, Belle needs us to go to the dungeon." "Goodness!" the dresser gasped, "You're here to help my friends? Well, why didn't you say so?" "Well," Kirito started, "Usually, we don't need to ask wardrobes to move because they aren't even alive." The wardrobe chuckled at their dumbfounded looks. "I'm sorry I startled you." she said to them, "Oh, I used to be human, you know, until the enchantress cast her spell." _She use to be human? _Kirito thought, _and an enchantress? Could this be the curse Yui said? _"I was turned into a wardrobe when the prince was turned into a beast." she explained to them. The five heroes were stunned. "The prince is the Beast?!" Donald repeated. "The Beast is a prince?!" Asuna asked, shocked. "That's right." the wardrobe replied, "Although his behavior was from princely at the time." _Probably still is. _Kirito thought to himself.

"What's this about a...spell?" Sora asked. The wardrobe leaned in as she said, "Well, it was a cold winter's night..." The others leaned in, anxious to hear this story. "...And that's enough for now." she finished, leaning back up, "You can hear the rest when you've rescued the others. It'll give you something to look forward to." This cause the others to fall forward comically as the tension broke. "Hurry, now." the wardrobe told them, "The dungeon is damp and chilly. Certainly no place for a clock." "A clock?" Goofy repeated. "You'll find out soon enough." assured the wardrobe.

The five turned to each other. While they did want to save the servants, they also wanted to hear this story, too. "All right. Let's get going." Sora declared, and the other four nodded.

They entered the door into the undercroft. It was, as the wardrobe said, dark and dank. An assortment of objects looked like they were thrown on either side of the room. There were stairs that led to a floor above them with two suits of armor standing up. In front of the five were a couple of gargoyles, and a strange stone door with sculptures of two demonic like figures, who's bodies were connected to the oversized keyhole.

"This must be it." Sora stated. "Then that must be the door to the dungeons." Kirito pointed out, staring at the door in front of him. "There's something weird about that door." Asuna thought out loud as Donald waddled up to the door. Donald was pressing his ear to the door, listening for anyone inside.

Suddenly, the two demonic sculptures' eyes flashed. Donald looked around, feeling something was off, then the sculptures started to glow dark purple, and they came to life. Those things were Heartless. Their inner hands blocked the keyhole, and stared down at Donald as he backed up. "Uh-oh!" he cried, running away as the Heartless slammed their fists down at the spot Donald was at. He rushed back to the others who had their weapon's raised. "What is that?!" exclaimed Asuna. Yui took a good look at it. "Got it," she answered, "It's called a Thresholder. It's a very strong Heartless." "Well, if it's a Heartless, it deserves a thrashing!" Sora declared, seeing the Heartless's heads look at one another, and pound their fists before staring at the intruders.

Suddenly the gargoyles also came to life, only they were able to hop around with their pedestals. They charged at the group just as the Thresholder elongated his arms, and nearly slammed them into the ground, had they not leapt from either side, Sora, Kirito and Donald to one side, Asuna and Goofy on the other. They each started by attacking the gargoyles, and with a series of strikes, they took the two gargoyles out. Just as they beaten them, Hook bats appeared and dived towards them. "Well take care of the bats!" Asuna told Sora and Kirito, "you guys focus on the door!" They nodded, and the group split up. Sora and Kirito started striking the Thresholder without mercy. It smacked the two guys away from him in response, but they recovered in mid-flight, and charged once more. "Use magic!" Sora shouted to Kirito, and the duo started shooting Blizzard attacks at the Heartless. It was working well on it as it started to daze a bit, loosening their grip on the keyhole.

"I got this!" Sora cried, rushing to the door, and raising his Keyblade at it. A light shot out of his Keyblade, and struck the Keyhole. The Thresholder turned into a sculpture, and a ball of black energy came out and it had eyes and mouth. "That's a Possessor!" Yui cried, flying out of Kirito's pocket. "Now! Strike it down, Kirito!" Sora called to him, who didn't waste time. He started doing a barrage of attacks onto the Heartless, who was faltering from his repetitive strikes.

He was about to take it out when one of the Hook Bats came flying in, with Donald in tow, and knocked Kirito to one side, allowing the Possessor to dive back into the sculpture, and the Thresholder came to life again. "Donald!" Sora and Kirito cried to him. "Sorry!" Donald said apologetically. Kirito threw Donald away from him, and charged at the door once more, Sora going at it as well.

Thresholder then began charging up a large energy orb in between it's hands, and sent it split into a barrage of energy orbs as he sent them raining down onto the two boys. Sora and Kirito did their best sidestepping the attack, and Sora immediately went into Valor Form, and started to strike the Heartless powerfully with his Keyblades. It charged up its' energy orb again, causing Sora to double back, but Kirito leapt up, and delivered as many Blizzard attacks as he could onto it, causing it to falter in it's attack, and the energy orb dissolved. It was dazed again.

"Sora!" Kirito cried, who immediately released the Possessor out again, and the two charged at it and with Kirito slashing it on one side and Sora double-slashing it on the other, it was defeated. Asuna, Donald and Goofy all defeated the last Heartless and turned to see them finish the job.

"Way to go, guys!" she cheered over Donald and Goofy's screams of joy. Sora came out of his Valor form and the two boys looked at each other, and eagerly smiled. Suddenly, the sculpture of the Thresholder disappeared into a black smoke as the Possessor staggered in the air and disappeared. The group looked towards the door, to see now a different set of doors, wooden now, and with the same large keyhole.

"You think the dungeon's past this door?" Donald asked. "Through that trouble, I hope so." Kirito answered as the gang placed their weapon's away. "C'mon, we gotta set those servants free!" Goofy declared. "He's right." Sora agreed, "Let's go." Yui dove onto Asuna's shoulder as Sora opened the door, and the group entered.

**Chapter 4: The Way through the Passageway**

It was pretty much a stone dungeon, a bit chillier than the undercroft, but just as dark. It contained some hay on each far corner, and a few chairs and boxes. On top of them were an old wooden clock, a lit candelabra, a teapot and a teacup with a chip in it. However, there was nobody else there other than them. "There's nobody here." Sora stated. "You mean there's nobody to rescue?" Donald asked.

Sora, Kirito and Asuna sighed, but suddenly, a french male voice said, "Did someone say 'rescue'?" The voice startled the group, and they looked around, wondering where it came from. "Shh," hushed another voice, "Keep quiet. It might be THEM." "Oh, they look like a nice bunch to me." said a female voice. "Hehe," giggled a child voice, "look, they even have a small person on their shoulder." Yui nervously looked around, realizing she was noticeable. "We are nice." Goofy called out, "We're your friends." "Yeah," agreed Sora, "Belle sent us to find you."

At these words, the clock, candelabra, teapot and cup all started to move. They, like the wardrobe, were alive as well. They hopped, or the clock walked, over to the group, who were amazed at more inanimate objects come to life. "This is just too much!" Asuna exclaimed, staring at the candelabra who came closer to her. "Bonjour, mademoiselle." the candelabra greeted, waving a candlestick as he bowed to her. She nervously waved back. Yui flew down to the hopping teacup and looked around it. "Wow, you are just my height." the cup stated. "Your right, we are around the same height." Yui giggled, standing next to the cup, and measuring each other.

The others bent down to look at them, Donald especially interested at the clock. "I'm Sora." Sora introduced, waving a hand to each of his friends. "This is Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna, and Yui." Just as he finished, Donald made a dive and grabbed the clock. "D-don't touch!" the clock cried as he was picked up off the ground, waving his hands. "I-I am self-winding, sir!" Goofy and Asuna looked at the clock as Donald started shaking it. "Nice to meet you, Yui." said the cup, "I'm Chip." "And you can call me Mrs. Potts." the teapot added. "It's nice to meet the both of you." Yui greeted, making a curtsy.

"We're glad you're okay." Sora stated, bending to the candelabra. "Yeah, I'm just wondering if we are." Kirito asked amusingly, rubbing his eyes to make sure that what they were seeing was real. The candelabra hopped back to the chair and turned to them. "It is we who are overjoyed to see you!" he responded.

"Did somebody put a spell on you guys, too?" Asuna asked as Donald tickled the feet and pulled the arms of the clock. "Yes, that's right!" the clock responded, "You've heard! It was the enchantress." "It seems so long ago..." the candelabra sighed as it folded its' arms. "It was a cold winter's night..." Mrs. Potts started as Sora placed Chip next to her on the crate, "An old beggar woman came to the castle, and asked for shelter." "But the master of the castle, that is of course, the Prince..." the clock started, but then he noticed Donald opening his inside and playing with his pendulum, and slammed his case shut as he snapped, "Stop that! Put me down this instant." Donald place the clock onto the table, who brushed himself, then cleared his throat before continuing, "The master turned her away. All because of her, ahem, meager appearance." "How rude." Asuna stated, folding her arms. "Oui." agreed the candelabra, "He was a spoiled prince, so selfish and, how shall I say this, cruel." "Lumiere!" protested the clock, but at least they now know the candelabra's name.

"The old woman warned our master not to be deceived by appearances," Mrs. Potts continued, "Still, he would not take her in." "Then the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress." the clock followed through. "She turned the Prince into a beast," Mrs. Potts continued, "a shape she thought fitting for his cold heart." "And to further punish him," the clock finished, "everyone in the castle was enchanted, too."

The five thought about what they were told. "Wow, that's quite a story." Sora stated. "Now that we have that story, things seem a little more clear." Asuna added, Kirito still looking a bit confused, but understood how they came to be. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Goofy asked them. "Let's get the enchantress!" Donald declared. "Oh no, dear." Mrs. Potts retorted. "We already know what needs to be done," Lumiere answered, "but with the master out of sorts..."

"He sure is acting weird." Sora stated, Goofy and Donald nodded in agreement. Kirito and Asuna looked at each other. Yet another group of people thinking the Beast was a kind person. "It's almost as if he's forgotten how to trust others." Mrs. Potts assumed. "You don't suppose he's been turned into a Heartless, do you?" the clock asked. "Heartless?!" echoed the five shockingly.

"If they're a part of this, then it's a good thing we're here." said Sora. "Let's go find the Beast!" Donald declared. "Sounds like the best way to figure this out." Kirito answered. "I am a Mental Health Counseling Program." Yui added, "I can probably see if there's a way to settle him down." "Maybe," Asuna murmured, "but don't get carried away, Yui, or you could get hurt." "Okay, mama!" Yui chimed.

"Splendid!" pipped up the clock. Lumiere hopped off the chair and towards the door. "Follow me, messieurs." he told them, "I know a shortcut." He opened the door slightly so he could get through. As the others went through, Asuna asked the clock, "By the way, I didn't catch your name." "Oh, pardon me." he responded, "You may address me as Cogsworth, madame." He then walked out the door, with everyone else following him.

They went up the stairs in the undercroft, and Cogsworth walked up to the two suits of armor. "Allow our guests to pass." he asked them. Suddenly, the two suits of armor suddenly moved to one side each, revealing a door which opened for them. Kirito wondered how much of the castle was alive. They all entered the door. And found themselves in a secret passageway. However, there was no exit to what they saw.

"All right, how do we get out of here?" Sora asked. "I'm afraid we won't be marching out that easily." Lumiere answered. "Should've known." Kirito moaned. "You see," Lumiere continued, "the door leading to the other side is concealed by a sort of contraption." "What kind of contraption?" Sora asked. "Observe." Cogsworth answered, and the group turned to see the clock hop up onto a spinning lever, and it lowered under his weight. Suddenly, something came down from the ceiling. It looked like a hanging lantern, but it was burning pitch black flames.

"The lantern came down!" Donald stated. "Indeed it did." Lumiere answered, "If we could but light all the lanterns in this passage the secret door would open..." "But, as you can see," Mrs. Potts continued, "the lanterns are already burning-with an enchanted flame." "These are enchanted flames?" Asuna asked, looking closely at it, "I thought the Heartless might have lit these." "You must put out this enchanted flame before I am able to light the lanterns properly." Lumiere explained.

"Can't ya just throw some water on 'em?" Goofy suggested. "I'm afraid that's not enough." Mrs. Potts answered, "But if you use the power of light..." Sora thought for a little bit before saying, "How about I try using the Keyblade?" Sora whipped out his Keyblade, and he, Mrs. Potts, and Lumiere combined their efforts, and the flames started to burn normally.

"Bravo!" Lumiere cheered. "Only three lanterns left!" Mrs. Potts counted, "If we work together, we'll have that door open in no time!" "Piece of cake!" Sora said eagerly. "Again, it is not quite so simple, mon ami." Lumiere said abruptly. "Why am I not surprised?" Kirito asked sarcastically. "Certainly you cannot expect Cogsworth to hang from the handle forever?" Lumiere asked, the group turning to the hanging clock. Cogsworth grumbled at Lumiere's words. "If he gets tired and falls off, all of the unlit lanterns will rise to the ceiling again."

"Then I guess we should make it through this fast." Kirito stated, walking right next to Sora. "I assume that Lumiere and Mrs. Potts aren't too quick on their 'feet'. So I think maybe me and Asuna can carry the two whiles you lead us to the lanterns." Ooh! Ooh!" cried Yui, "I can help Cogsworth with holding the handle down." "Good idea." smiled Kirito, grabbing Lumiere by the stem as Asuna wrapped her arms around Mrs. Potts, "Let's make sure we get this done as soon as possible." "Right!" they all cried.

Yui went right next to Cogsworth, and sat down on the handle. Chip watched as Sora led the others around the secret passage, lighting up the lanterns as they went. The only roadblocks they had to deal with were some crates, but it enough to stop them from jumping over. They got this done quite quickly with their team effort.

The gang all got together at the end of the passageway. "Are we all set?" Sora asked. "Oui." Lumiere answered "The secret door should open now." Goofy looked around the room. "But I don't see any secret door." he stated. "No need to worry." reassured Cogsworth. The gang turned to one of the walls, and saw a block sticking out. "Just push that block over there," Cogsworth explained, "the one that's sticking out." "Got it." Kirito answered, and he walked over and pushed it in. Suddenly, part of the wall slid down next to Kirito, revealing the secret door.

He walked back to the others as Lumiere said, "Now, I must check on the castle. I fear my absence has been too long." "I best be off, too, dears." Mrs. Potts added. "Wish we could play a little more, Yui." Chip said longingly to the pixie. "Don't worry," she answered, "When this is done, we can play a little." "Watch out for Heartless!" Sora warned them.

The three objects hopped away, leaving Cogsworth with the group. "The master's room is at the very end of the west wing." he explained to the group, I shall go on ahead and wait for you." He then walked away, leaving the five heroes in the passageway. "Let's go gang!" Sora declared, and he led the group through the secret door.

**Chapter 5: Sooth the Savage Beast**

They arrived in the west wing again, this time behind the suits of armor that blocked the stairs. They walked along the path to the end of the wing, dealing with several Heartless and possessed gargoyles, grabbing a few shards, then finally made it to a pair of doors.

They peered in and saw the back of the Beast's cape as he had his back turned at the far end of the room. The room was definitely disheveled and torn apart, like the Beast had a tantrum in there. The Beast was looking at the magical rose, which floated in its' glass cage as it stood on the table. They also saw one other person in there, who was standing to one side of the Beast. A man in a black cloak and black hood. _Organization XIII _the group thought in unison.

"It's time you dealt with Belle." the man told the Beast, "She's scheming to take everything you have." He walked away from the Beast as he continued, "This castle, your precious rose, and then-your life. Trust no one. Feed your anger! Only anger will keep you strong." "I've had enough of strength." retorted the Beast silently, "There's only one thing I want..." "What?" the man said abruptly, "To love, and be loved in return? Who could ever love a beast?" The Beast roared at him.

Outside the doors, Kirito heard those words, and felt shameful a bit. Was he not open to the Beast as well? Was he only thinking about what he saw on the outside? Before he had a chance to answer, however, Sora barged into the room, the rest rushing in behind him. They readied their weapons as they saw the Organization XIII member turn to them. "See? She has accomplices." the man pointed out to the Beast, who looked down with a blank face. The man then backed away and waved his hand, producing a barrier that separated everyone from the glowing rose. He then went through a black portal and disappeared.

Everybody put their weapons away as Sora led the group to the Beast, who didn't move from where he stood. "Hey, prince." Sora addressed him. The Beast then lifted his head and let out a loud, ferocious roar, frightening everybody. "Oh, dear! Master!" Cogsworth cried. The Beast made a lunge for them, but they jumped to either side, Sora grabbing Cogsworth. The gathered behind him, who turned to them with an angry face. Suddenly, an aura seem to come from the Beast's body, almost flame like. "Now what's happening?!" Donald asked. "I think that Organization XIII person brainwashed him!" Yui answered, "He was attempting to turn Beast into a Heartless, but it hasn't happened yet." "That's why he's acting so strange!" Sora answered, leaping to one side as the Beast lunged at them with blind rage. "We need to bring the Beast back to his senses." Asuna yelled out as she jumped backwards from a near slash of the Beast's claws.

Kirito made a lunge for the Beast, and slashed at him with his Keyblade, sending him recoiling backwards. "Kirito! What are you doing!" Sora shouted, shocked at this attack. "I think we need to wear him out!" he answered, blocking his attacks with his Keyblade, then a strong slash sent him skidding to Sora's side, "If we can wear him down, maybe one of us can bring him to his senses again." "Yeah, that might work." Sora agreed.

"I bet me and Cogsworth can do something about bringing him back to his senses!" Yui suggested, "If you gather the light powers of the Keyblade to me and him when he is worn out, we can use that to snap him out of this state." "I can try stopping him temporarily by shouting to him." Cogsworth suggested, "He can listen to me, then you can strike. But please, be gentle with the Master!" "Not really an option!" Kirito retaliated as the Beast made a lunge for Goofy, who nearly blocked it with his shield. Sora, Kirito, Yui and Cogsworth went in for the attack, with everyone else following them.

The Beast was ferocious and strong, but his anger was making him lose focus in fighting, making him an easy target to hit him. However, the aura surrounding him was blocking the group to doing any damage, so they had to use Cogsworth in order to temporarily bring down the aura, allowing them to attack him. Finally, when he was worn out, Sora, Kirito and Asuna combined the lights of their Keyblades together, and focused them onto Yui and Cogsworth. When they gathered enough, the duo used that light, and let out a bright sound wave as Cogsworth shouted, "Please, Master! Please! Control yourself!" the sound wave not only sent the Beast falling on all fours to the ground, but it also broke the aura surrounding him. He had been brought back to normal.

The Beast rubbed his head as he breathed heavily. He then looked down at Cogsworth and Yui, who were right in front of him. "Cogsworth," he said gruffly as he stood up, "what happened?" Cogsworth was sort of frightened to to answer him, and he was mumbling a bit, however, Yui flew to his face as she answered, "Well, you were the one who put everyone down in that dungeon, and was being a big meanie!" "I did what?" the Beast asked, realizing what she just said. "Ah, you did!" Cogsworth agreed. The Beast looked down in shame.

"Are...you feeling ok?" Asuna asked hesitantly. The Beast turned to her and Kirito, and nodded. "Oh, these two are friends of mine." Sora mentioned, "So is Yui there." Yui waved at the Beast, Kirito and Asuna did so as well. "So, who was that guy you were talking to? The one in black?" Sora asked. The question seem to take its' time reaching the Beast's ears, then he raised his head, realizing what just happened. "Xaldin!" he gasped, then he sighed deeply, "That's his name. He came from the darkness. He...used my anger to control me." He then bowed deeply once again in shame as he continued, "He took all my sorrow, my sadness, my pain, and turned it all into rage. There was nothing I could do. I could no longer see the truth."

Kirito heard these words, and saw his saddened face, and he realized, at long last, that Sora, Belle, Cogsworth, all of them. They were speaking the truth. He turned away from the group and looked down in shame. He was such an idiot, to think that the Beast was cruel and mean, all because of what he looked like, and what he did. He didn't trust his friends, just like how the Beast wasn't able to trust the people around him as well. In a way, he was the beast, not him. Asuna, Yui and Sora all looked at him, and saw how sad he was as well. "Kirito..." Asuna said quietly.

"Well, I'll be." Goofy exclaimed, being his optimistic self, "That must be why you threw all of your friends down there into the dungeon. You wanted to make sure that you didn't hurt em`, right?" "Was that it?" the Beast asked himself, "Was it to protect them?" "Sure. We know you're good inside." Goofy answered. Sora and Donald nodded. "He's right, Master." Cogsworth agreed, "We've all seen how kind you can be."

"Well, some of us had to take some time to see that as well." Asuna pointed out, turning from Kirito to the Beast, "I admit, when we first met you, and you threw us aside, I was a bit skeptical, but seeing my friends believe in you started to make me think that there might be some good in you. Kirito, however..." "I was the beast of the group." Kirito sighed mournfully, causing everyone to turn to him. "I wasn't trusting my friends judgement on you. I was only thinking about what you are on the outside, and never considered you of what you are on the inside. I should've seen it when Belle told me about the goodness in your heart."

Kirito looked up at Sora as he continued, "I'm sorry for not trusting you, Sora. Please don't be angry with me." "Why would I?" Sora asked absentmindedly, "We know you are somewhat a difficult person to trust others. As long as you see that the Beast is a good person, that's all that matters." Kirito snorted a bit. "Your way to forgiving." he accused him, "Still, thanks, Sora." He walked over to Sora, and the duo shook hands, causing Donald, Goofy, Asuna and Yui to smile at them.

Suddenly, from hearing Kirito's words, the Beast remembered something. "Belle!" he gasped, then he sighed once again, "I've mistreated her. I've mistreated her and been so selfish." "She didn't say anything about that." Asuna recalled. "She'd never tell anyone of my cruelty. She's too good." the Beast responded. "You see, I'm afraid he judges himself far too harshly." Cogsworth whispered to them.

"Why don't you just go talk to her?" Sora suggested. "If you talk to her, I'm sure she will understand." Yui stated. "My papa did something bad, and was forgiven by Sora. You and Belle are the same thing." the Beast looked at Sora, then at Yui. "But..." he started. "No excuses!" Asuna retorted, "Come on, we'll all go with you." Sora, Donald, Goofy and Yui all nodded in agreement, Kirito did so a few seconds behind them. "The suits of armor in the west hall should let you pass, now." Cogsworth told them, "Please, go see Belle, and hurry!" Everyone got out of Beast's room and headed towards Belle's room. A sudden feeling of foreboding suddenly shadowed Sora, almost as if he needed to go as soon as possible. There was a reason why.

**Chapter 6: The Shadow Stalker & Dark Thorn**

The group ran down the wing, Sora and Asuna in the lead, followed by Goofy and Donald, and Kirito and the Beast brought up the rear. Although he was given forgiveness, Kirito was still upset with himself, but he decided that he'll think about it after the Beast meets Belle. Several Heartless got in there way, and the gang were easily taking care of them. The Beast, now not so ballistic, was a much better fighter, and just as strong. He and Kirito were taking out any that came from behind.

They ran out the west wing, crossed the stairs, where they met new Heartless called Lance Soldiers, and up the stairs to the east wing. There were several Heartless that were not there before, but the teams combined effort took them out. The group then entered the room, but Belle wasn't there, instead the talking wardrobe was. _Ok, just how did she get in here?_ Kirito thought, but decided to not think about it too much. He tried to wrap his brain around this stuff before, but had no such luck.

The wardrobe was sort of shocked to see the Beast. "Master!" she exclaimed. "Everybody's safe now." Donald assured her. "Wonderful! Thank you!" thanked the wardrobe. "Where is Belle?" the Beast asked. "Why, she left in a hurry." the wardrobe explained, "Something about going after this 'man in black'."

The gang all looked startled, but the Beast was furious. "What?!" he angrily shouted, "Why doesn't she do as she's told?" The wardrobe turned her back to the Beast. "Temper, temper!" she scolded the Beast, "Her spirit is what makes Belle so special." meanwhile, Donald and Goofy were hugging each other in fright of the Beast. Even Asuna held Kirito's hand tightly in fright. "We'd better go find her!" Sora stated, who wasn't fazed by Beast's anger. He once again led the group out of the room, and down the east wing.

As soon as they went down the bottom stairs in the entrance hall, they heard Belle's muffled voice. "I'm warning you!" she said, "You'll be sorry!" "Belle!" shouted the Beast, looking around the hall, "Where are you?!" "Beast! Help!" she cried, her voice coming from the large door at the stairs above them, "I'm in the ballroom!" The gang rushed up the stairs once more, and into the large central door.

Beast bashed through the doors and into the bright, large and highly decorated ballroom. Belle was running towards the other side of the room and through the outside doors. They looked up and saw a large Heartless before them. It was a big ball with eyes and mouth, with tentacles and spikes, and chains wrapping all around its' body.

"Belle!" shouted the Beast. "I'm all right!" she responded, closing the outside door just as the Heartless was about to charge at her. It then turned to the six of them, all who either pulled their weapons out or bared their claws. It let out a roar, and dived up underneath the large chandelier. It dove into the floor, and suddenly the floor, the walls, everything in the room turned eerie and dark. It came out of the floor, and roared once more. "Yui, identify!" Kirito ordered her. "It's called a Shadow Stalker." Yui explained, "It's a high-level, Possessor type Heartless. That's all I know!"

It flailed in front of them, its' chains clinking as he moved. Beast charged at the monster, brandishing his claws, but the Shadow Stalker smacked him to the floor. He laid there just as the monster charged at him. "Beast!" Sora and Asuna shouted, but Kirito dove in and slashed it away. "Don't get too cocky, Heartless!" he shouted, then he turned to Beast as he asked, "You ok, Beast? Don't let him get to you!" The Beast nodded, and he got up just as the Shadow Stalker dove into the windows in the back of the ballroom. His face then showed itself through the glass, and a giant flash of energy flashed across the floor, sending Kirito and Beast flying toward the others.

It then came out of the window and soared up into the chandelier, possessing it. It nearly landed on top of the other four, but they dove out of the way, but that didn't stop the shockwave to hit them. The six of them got off the ground, and saw that it started to spin as it fired energy blasts from either side. The gang dove behind the pillars as the beams crossed their paths, then they came out and started to lay waste to the chandelier.

Just as it looked worn from the attacks, Sora released it using the Keyblade, and the Shadow Stalker came flying out as the chandelier dove up back to normal. Kirito and Beast were closest to it, and the duo started to slash and claw the Heartless to pieces. Donald and Asuna started to fire Thunder and Blizzard attacks respectively at it. Sora and Goofy were attempting to rush in closer, but the Shadow Stalker saw them coming, and it got away from Kirito and Beast by diving back into the floor. "Your not getting away!" Sora shouted as he and Goofy looked all around the floor, searching for it.

The face of the Shadow Stalker appeared all right; underneath Sora and Goofy. It devoured the two, and it looked like it was munching on them before it spit the two out, sending them flying to the ground by where the Heartless was at. Donald and Asuna were rushing to them just as it dove into one of the pillars, and it started to move all of the pillars at once, causing them to thrash about like arms as they came out of the ground.

Asuna blocked one of them as Donald got in closer and healed the two. However, another pillar whipped around and smacked Asuna to one side, causing her to collapse near the Shadow Stalker's pillar. "Asuna!" Kirito cried as it saw the pillar raise itself on top of Asuna.

Just as it came flying down, Asuna rolled to one side, avoiding the attack, and leapt to her feet. Losing all patience now, she charged at the pillar the Heartless was possessing, and started furiously slashing and stabbing at it. Just as it was worn down, Asuna did something she had never done before; she released it this time, and it was sent flying towards the other five. "Get em`, guys!" she shouted, and the five of them jumped in and pretty much knocked him out.

The group then leapt back, seeing the work they did to it, Asuna joined up with them. "Did we get it?" Donald asked, seeing it float up into the air slowly and shakily. It paused for a minute, then it started flailing around, roaring in fury. "Don't think so." Sora responded as it saw a black orb surrounding the body, cocooning it inside.

For a while it was like that, then suddenly it burst, revealing the Heartless, now transformed. It was a massive black beast, with teal thorns wrapping around its' body. It was no longer wrapped in chains, and its' arms were free, though there were manacles on its' wrists and ankles, and there were chains on its' legs. It had large red claw, orange horns, and wild orange mane. There was also a heart-shaped hole in its' chest.

"Now what?!" exclaimed Kirito, looking up at the monster before him. "The Heartless evolved into the Dark Thorn!" Yui cried, "It's much stronger than before!" "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Sora quoted, readying his Keyblade. The six of them charged at the new Heartless, ready for round two.

The Dark Thorn lost its' possessing powers, but it was able to turn invisible. It disappeared from eyesight, and the six of them stopped to look around. Suddenly, Asuna, Donald and Goofy were sent flying one direction, apparently slashed by the invisible Heartless, and they slammed into the walls, where they fell unconscious. "Guys!" Sora shouted. "Asuna!" Kirito screamed, seeing his girlfriend lay there. Beast saw what happened, and lost all control as he started to slash anywhere and everywhere, attempting to hit the Dark Thorn.

Sora and Kirito stood back to back, their Keyblades raised. "How can we fight something we can't see?!" exclaimed Kirito. Sora looked at the chandelier above them, and grinned. "Kirito, get yourself and the Beast out of the way." he warned him as he dashed to one of the pillars. He then hopped onto the pillar, and made an immense jump onto the top of the chandelier, and forced it down. Kirito was trying to calm the Beast down when they saw it fall, and ran out of the way. "He's nuts!" Kirito shouted as he saw it land. Sora then started to twirl the chain around, causing the chandelier to start spinning around the room. It hit the Dark Thorn, forcing him to appear, then sending it flying, smacking into the walls closest to the Beast and Kirito, who didn't waste any time striking it.

Sora hopped off the chandelier just as it rose up to the ceiling again, and joined the fray. The trio were striking at it as it started to rush around on all fours. It stopped to meet them, and started to produce Possessors out of the floor. The Beast and Kirito were surrounded by them, but Sora bypassed them, and went straight for the main Heartless, striking him violently with his Keyblade.

Just as he was doing that, the Dark Thorn turned invisible and it grabbed Sora and flung him over to one of the pillars. Sora noticed where he was going, twisted around as he let go of his Keyblade. He grabbed the pillar, spun around it a few times, grabbed his Keyblade again, and slingshot himself at the place where the Dark Thorn was apparently at, striking him so hard that it sent him flying towards the window, making himself visible again.

Beast and Kirito got done with the Possessors, and charged at the Heartless as it charged at them. "Beast, let's go!" Kirito cried as his Keyblade started to glow. The Dark Thorn was about to spin into them, but the Beast protected Kirito with his cape. Then the two let out a furious roar, causing the Dark Thorn to recoil. Kirito was making a flurry of slashes while the Beast was slamming the ground, producing shockwaves that damaged the Heartless. Finally, they got up underneath it and stood back to back, and their combined howls created a burst of energy that sent Dark Thorn flying into the air.

When it was airborne, Kirito didn't waste any time, and went into Valor Form and made a high jump up to him. He was about to slash it, but the Dark Thorn grabbed the chain to the chandelier, and pulled himself away from Kirito's path. It used this moment, and slammed the chandelier to the ground, and started to spin it around like what Sora did to him.

It roared in amusement as it sent Sora and the Beast flying, but it then heard a war cry, and it looked up to see Kirito come flying down on it. "STOP HURTING MY FRIENDS!" Kirito angrily shouted, and he used the speed of his fall to slash it down with his two Keyblades. The Heartless howled in pain, but Kirito was far from finishing him. He went into a blind rage, and started slashing and hacking it, having it step off the chandelier so it would go up again. Kirito was furious, and couldn't control himself. Finally, he did a cross slash, piercing right through it, and standing right behind the Heartless as it let out a howl of pain. It froze, standing up straight, looking above, then suddenly a burst of light appeared from its' body, and it vanished. It was over.

**Chapter 7: Forgiveness**

As the ballroom went back to normal, Kirito reverted back to normal and collapsed to his knees, breathing deeply. Everybody, including Asuna, Donald and Goofy, rushed over to him. "That was intense!" Sora complimented him, patting his shoulder. "Wha-what just happened?" Kirito asked, rubbing his head. "What do you mean?" Sora asked, "You just defeated the Heartless." "He means you went into another fighting spasm again." Asuna corrected him, grabbing underneath Kirito's arm and lifting him up. "Oh, really?" he asked, shakily standing up straight.

"You don't remember?" the Beast asked. "Kirito can sometimes get so intense in a battle, that he will even forget what he is doing." Asuna explained, causing the group to look back in surprise. "Gawrsh, sound like you get pretty heated up out there." Goofy stated. "You sure you ok?" Donald asked him. "Yeah, I think so." Kirito responded, removing Asuna's arm so he can stand up on his own.

"Well, whatever just happened, we did it!" Sora cheered, Donald and Goofy cheering with him. Asuna giggled in amusement. "So you think." replied a voice. The group turned to the entrance door, and saw the man in the black coat standing there. "Xaldin!" roared the Beast as he and Sora charged at him. "Farewell." the man said, and disappeared into a black portal again.

The group gathered behind the Beast as he stared at the spot he disappeared at. "What does he want here?" the Beast asked. "He must be with Organization XIII." Sora guessed, making the Beast turn to him, "Ever heard of the Nobodies? When a strong-hearted person turns into a Heartless, a Nobody's created, too." "See, the Organization," Asuna continued, "they've got control of all the Nobodies." "That's right." Yui agreed, flying out of Kirito's pocket, "And they were gonna make you into a Heartless. That way, they could get that Nobody of yours and have control over it." Goofy and Sora nodded in agreement.

"You're all right!" Belle cried as she came out from outside. "Belle!" the Beast said, rushing up to her, pleased to see her ok. Belle didn't look as happy to see him, though she turned to see Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts and Chip enter in. They gathered next to Sora, Kirito and the others as they watched the couple.

"Belle," the Beast spoke, "I-I'm sorry. I...wasn't myself. I hope I haven't done anything to hurt you." Belle shook her head and smiled at him, who responded with a toothy grin. "Forgive me." he asked. "I know you weren't yourself." she replied, "You don't have to apologize." Then she looked seriously at him as she scolded, "But I had hoped...that you might have changed a little bit. I wish you could start trusting me." She folded her arms and looked away from the Beast, who looked down in shame.

"Oh, I am afraid time is running short." Lumiere moaned as he watched them. "What do you mean?" Sora asked. The four servants looked at the group. "Remember the rose?" Lumiere asked them. "From the Beast's room?" Donald recalled. "The glowing one in the glass?" Asuna described. "Precisely." Cogsworth answered, "You see, if the master can learn to love, and earn love in return, before the last petal falls..." "...the spell would be broken." Lumiere finished. "Really?" Sora questioned, looking at Belle and the Beast, "You think he's gonna make it?" "We think so." Mrs. Potts answered. "I know so!" Asuna added. "Yep. I think you're right." Goofy agreed. "I hope you're right." Sora added.

Just then, Kirito walked up to Belle and the Beast, and cleared his throat to draw there attention. He looked a bit hesitant, then he started, "Listen, I...may not be the best when speaking about this...but I just want to ask that you guys don't lose the trust you guys already have with each other." He looked back at his friends as he continued, "After all, you should never lose hope in those you care for the most." The four friends smiled at him, who smiled in return. He turned back to the couple before him. "I know you had a tough time, Belle, but the Beast is willing to ask for a second chance. Please make sure you give him that." Belle looked at Kirito for a second, then smiled. "I will, Kirito." she answered.

Just then, Sora's, Kirito's and Asuna's Keyblades produced themselves. The trio looked at their weapons, looked above, then looked at each other, and nodded in response as what to do. Up above them, Beast's rose and it's glass cage started to glow and float. They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the floating rose glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into what looked like a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the rose suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

"What happened?" the Beast asked as he and Belle walked towards them. "The gate is open!" Donald cheered. "Do you have to go?" Belle asked them. "Yeah." Sora answered. "Now, no more arguin`, ok?" warned Goofy. Belle and the Beast looked at one another, and the Beast looked a bit embarrassed. "You guys take of them." Yui asked the servants. "We'll see to it." Lumiere responded, bowing to the group. "Take care, dears." Mrs. Potts said to them. "Bye, you guys!" Chip squeaked. "You're welcome here anytime!" Cogsworth told them. Yui flew onto Asuna's shoulder and waved at them.

Sora turned to Belle and the Beast. "If you hear anything about Riku, the King, or a guy named DiZ, the Heartless, the Organization, anything at all, let us know!" He told them. They nodded in response. "Okay, gotta go!" Sora stated as he, Donald and Goofy waved in goodbye. "Take care!" waved Asuna. "You guys be safe, okay?" Kirito told them, then the group walked away to the entrance door.

As they left, another element orb came out of nowhere and fell in front of the Keyblade trio. "That's the Cure element." Yui explained, "That will allow you to use Cure magic." "Sounds great to me." Asuna stated as the trio touched the orbs, and they dove inside of them, allowing themselves to use the magic.

"You know," Asuna told Kirito, "I think you might've grown up a bit just now." "Huh?" What's that suppose to mean?" Kirito asked confused. "Oh, I don't know." she answered with a cheeky expression, "You should think about it." She then rushed off. "Wait, what do you mean by that?!" Kirito shouted, racing after her as she giggled. The other three ran off behind them, on to their next adventure.

**Whew! This was a good story to write. Asuna had her role in Mulan, now Kirito had his. I hope you guys and gals enjoy this story.**

**For the next episode, if you hadn't played Kingdom Hearts II, you would know that we'll be having a detour back to Hollow Bastion for something. However, I also will make it a 'double-sided' story of sorts. What is the other story? Well, if you look up my Deviant Arts website on my profile, you will see a new picture that will indicate who will finally show up. I enjoy a good review, so please leave one. Thanks!**


	8. Ep 6: Leafa & Recon! Pooh's Storybook!

**This parts a bit shorter, but it plays an important role in the story, for it brings in two characters from Sword Art Online into the tale. For Character descriptions, look them up at these websites:**

wiki/Kirigaya_Suguha

wiki/Nagata_Shinichi

**Oh, and by the way, I've made my decision on my opening song for this series: INNOCENCE (English) by Amanda Lee**

**Prologue**

_(Back in ALO/SAO)_ Up in the skies near Aincrad, Leafa was flying below the clouds, looking towards the ground. _Where is he?_ She thought to herself, worried for her stepbrother.

It had been five days since her real world stepbrother logged into SAO, and no one had seen them since. She had been talking to several people, like Klien, Agil, Lisbeth, and discovered that not only did they not see Kirito, but Asuna as well. Leafa checked many secluded spots they might have stopped at, but to no advantage. She kept wondering if maybe she died, but seeing both Kirito and Asuna's names on her friend list told her that it was not true. Just what was going on?

Leafa took a great boost of speed with her wings, and soared towards the mountains. "Brother!" she called out, "Kirito! Asuna! Yui! Please answer!" No response. She stopped in mid-flight, and looked down, worried. _Why is this happening to her?_ She thought, _It was bad enough to see her brother disappear for 2 years inside a game, but to now have him and a good friend of hers to disappear together._ Tears started to weld up in her eyes. She was absolutely worried.

"Leafa!" cried a voice. Leafa rubbed her eyes and turned to see Recon fly towards her. Ever since Kirito saved Asuna, she started to let go of her feelings to her brother, and had now started to date with her friend Recon. Turns out, things are actually going well with the two.

"Recon." She responded as he soared next to her. "Where have you been?!" he asked, frustrated, "I set up reservations at that really hard to get restaurant you've always wanted to go to, and you missed it! Do you realize just how much money and time I had to do in order to get reservations to that place?" "Sorry," she responded, looking down in shame, "I...just had some other things on my mind." Recon saw her sad face, and knew what it was. "Is it Kazuto?" he asked her. Leafa nodded. "I can't seem to find them anywhere." She explained, "I've talked to their friends, I've tried asking those with great scouting abilities to search, I even looked at every spot that was hidden away both her and at Aincrad. I'm worried about him."

Recon looked sympathetically at Leafa, then smiled at her. "Well, if that's what you're worried about, then why didn't you ask me about it?" he asked, placing his fists on his hips in a heroic posture, "It just so happens that one of my friends actually saw them." Leafa looked to Recon, shocked. "You...know where Kirito is?!" she asked him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him while in mid-flight. "Leafa, stop shaking me!" he cried, and Leafa did so, though his eyes were spinning.

"So where is he?" she asked him. "Well," he started to recall, "my friend witnessed both Kirito and Asuna, along with their Navigation Pixie at the 57th floor. They were going on that mysterious quest that was buzzing around." "Yeah, my brother told me about that." Leafa remembered, "Supposedly, it wasn't made by any of the ALO, nor the SAO programmers. At least, that's what my brother said."

"Yeah, so he decided to follow them as they went into a dungeon, but he couldn't go in because he wasn't experienced enough." Recon continued, "He decided to wait, and he looked up the quest, I think it was called 'Kingdom Hearts' or something. Anyways, after a while, the quest ended abruptly, which was odd. He waited for them to come out, but they didn't."

Leafa looked worried about her brother and Asuna. She then frowned as she looked at Recon. "Do you know where this dungeon is?" she asked. "I think so." Recon answered, "But Leafa, I already went to that cave, too, and searched all around. There was nothing." "Well, let's check again," she told him, "I want to find my brother as soon as possible. Mom and Dad are worried about him, too, so I have to save him, no matter what." "Well then, count me in!" Recon declared, thumping his chest, "I'll make sure you are safe, Leafa." Leafa couldn't help but smile at him. His spirit was just what she need to get through.

She and Recon were about to take off when a voice stopped them. _"Do you really want to find your brother?" _asked the voice (Oh, by the way, to the viewers, it's Namine's voice). The two of them stopped and looked around. No one was around. "Who's there?" Leafa asked. _"You said you were looking for your brother." _the voice stated, _"Do you really miss him?" _Leafa and Recon looked at one another before Leafa answered, "Well, I don't want to say that, but I want my parents to make sure he's ok." _"I have been watching you." _the voice told them, _"I know you care deeply for your brother's safety. I've also felt that you might be able to help him and Asuna out."_

"So, Asuna and him are together?" Leafa asked, not even knowing where to speak too, "If you know where they are, then please, take me to them!" _"You can meet him." _the voice continued, _"But, the problem is that he is in a place you won't believe. It is dangerous to go where he is at. Do you still want to go?" _"Yes!" Leafa replied, her hands curled and her determination strong. _"Very well then." _the voice answered.

Suddenly, in front of Leafa and Recon, a black portal somehow came out of the blue, and in the air too, startling the duo. _"Step into the portal." _she told them, _"I shall meet you on the other side."_ Leafa was a bit hesitant. This was not a quest, for there would have been a quest marker on this portal. She had never seen anything like this before. Still, if this was a portal to Kirito, she would want to take that chance.

"Hold on, Leafa." Recon said abruptly, "I don't like this. What if it's a Salamander or a Spriggan trap?" "I don't really care." she answered, surprising him, "If my brother is through this thing, then I'm going in." Recon looked hesitant, but then his face looked determined as he said to her, "Well, it's just like I said, I'm coming with you." Leafa nodded to him, and the two entered the portal, which closed up behind them.

Not a moment the portal closed than did something else happened; their wings disappeared. They found themselves tumbling in the dark, unable to see where they were going. The fell, screaming, wondering if Recon was right. Was this really a trap?

_(Cue 'Innocence' by Amanda Lee)_

**Chapter 1: Called to Hollow Bastion**

Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald and Goofy all were about to head off to the next world, when suddenly, the Gummi ship started to move on its' own. "Huh?" said Goofy, looking around. "Hey, wait a minute..." Sora said abruptly, "Is the ship moving all on its own?" "Yui, you didn't do something to it, did ya?" Kirito asked. The little pixie partner shook her head. "So, where's are heading?" Asuna asked, looking at the monitor. "Looks like we're headed toward Hollow Bastion." Goofy answered.

He was right. The ship was moving back to Hollow Bastion again. Once they got there, they stopped. "Guess we should go down." Donald suggested. Yui set the transporter ready, and the gang teleported down to the surface.

Once down there, they headed to the lower levels of the town, towards Merlin's house. "I wonder what's up." Sora asked as they neared the place. They got in closer, and saw that the door was wide open. They also saw three Soldier Heartless come out of the house and disappear. The group looked at each other, worried. "C'mon." Sora told them and they entered the house.

Inside, they found the place somewhat messed up, and there on the ground was Merlin, rubbing his back. The five heroes rushed to him as he stood up, heaving slightly. "Well, now..." he started, "took your time. did you?" "What do you mean 'took your time'?" Kirito asked. "Oh, was it you who summoned us, Merlin?" Goofy asked. "Yes, yes..." Merlin answered, "But it seems I used too much power in doing so, and those infernal Heartless..." He sighed in exhaustion.

"So what's up?" Sora asked him. "Well, I happened to stumble across this in the Zero District." he explained. He then raised his palm to one side, and a book came in a puff of smoke. Donald reached up and grabbed it from him, the others looking at the cover. It was a picture of, to Kirito's, Yui's and Asuna's amazement, a slightly younger Sora holding hands with a small yellow bear in a red shirt, a tiny pig of some kind, and a tiger that looked as if it was bouncing on its' tale. The title said '_Winnie the Pooh_' on it.

"It looks like a children's book." Asuna stated. "Pooh's storybook!" exclaimed Sora. "That's right" Merlin answered, "I know you're a good friend of Winnie the Pooh, Sora, that's why I summoned you. And when I did, I was attacked by the Heartless. Of course, I fought back with some rather powerful magic, but then I began to fear the book would be damaged, so I..." He then stopped himself and said, "Now, just a moment. Leon and the others need to hear this too. I-I'd better go find them. Be back in a jiffy." Merlin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Okay, now someone should fill us in on why this book is so special." Kirito asked the group. "Well, Pooh is a friend of mine," Sora explained, "and he lives in a world inside that book." "Wait. There's a world inside the book?" Kirito repeated. "Now we've see it all." Asuna answered. "No, I don't think so." Kirito responded, sighing because he knew he was right.

"I wonder how Pooh's doing?" Sora asked Donald. "Wanna find out?" Donald asked him. "Yeah!" Sora eagerly answered. Donald unsnapped the buckle holding it, and he opened it to a page full of different locations. Sora turned to Kirito, Asuna and Yui. "You guys want to come along?" he asked them. "I think we'll pass." Kirito responded. "You should hang out with your friend right now." Asuna suggested to him. Sora nodded.

He was about to somehow go in, when they heard the sound of Heartless outside. "Sora!" Goofy exclaimed. "Cover for me, okay?" Sora told them. "Another benefit for us being outside the book." Asuna told him. Sora readied himself, and suddenly the book started to glow brightly, enveloping Sora, and suddenly he disappeared. "I've heard of people getting into books, but not actually going into one." Kirito said amusingly, making Asuna and Yui giggle.

They saw a few Soldiers attempt to go inside the house, but Kirito produced his Oblivion, and knocked them out. "Come on, you guys!" he cried to the others. Donald placed the book on a work table before he and the others joined Kirito outside.

They found themselves surrounded by a lot of Heartless. "We have to take them out!" Kirito told them, and they divided into pairs; Kirito and Goofy, Asuna and Donald. Each side were attacking the horde of Heartless that were coming one after another. "There's no end to them!" Asuna cried as she and Donald used magic to take out a couple.

"Don't talk!" Kirito responded, slashing another Heartless out, "You'll make me lose count." "Lose count?" Donald repeated, "On what?" "The amount of Heartless me and Goofy take out." He answered as he saw Goofy sending his shield spinning like a disc at the Heartless, "So far, I'm at sixteen." "Geez, Kirito." Asuna said exasperatedly, "Are you really that childish...Donald and I have eighteen."

The two Keyblade wielders looked at one another and smiled. "We're starting to get a bit insane here." Kirito told her. "No," she corrected, "We've just been around Sora a bit too long." The two turned back to their opponents and fought a little more.

After a minute of this, Kirito was slaying a couple who got too close to the door when he heard a thunk from inside. "Is Sora out of the book already?" Kirito asked. "Sora! Hurry up!" Donald cried out inside as he was running low on magic. The four backed off some Heartless from Merlin's house, keeping them at bay.

Suddenly, Sora came flying out of the house, brandishing his Keyblade. "What'd I miss?" he asked them. "Well, I counted twenty-seven Heartless I've defeated." Kirito told him. "Same here. Twenty-seven." Asuna added. "That make fifty-four Heartless!" Yui counted. "You've been counting?" Sora asked them. "You've been making us develop bad habits." Kirito answered. Sora smiled innocently at them, rubbing his head.

"Did ya bring the book, Sora?" Goofy asked. Sora turned and saw, to his horror, a couple of Soldier Heartless racing out of Merlin's room. One of them was carrying the book. "Hey!" Sora barked, racing to them. "Give that back!" Donald demanded, joining Sora. "Goofy, go with Sora and Donald." Asuna told him, "We got this." Goofy raced off to help the others while Kirito and Asuna were facing the set of Heartless they've cornered.

"I see odd numbers." Kirito noticed, "Loser buys lunch?" "Your on." Asuna smirked, and the two charged at the Heartless.

**Chapter 2: Namine, the Witch**

Leafa blacked out for a while. What difference did it make since they were already in the dark. They couldn't tell where anything was. Leafa and Recon found themselves on the ground, unconscious. They flew into a black portal, losing their wings, and were sent flying to who knows where.

Leafa was the first to move. She lifted herself up, and shook her head. She looked all around, but saw nothing but black. She then noticed Recon right next to her, his face directing itself towards Leafa. She crawled over and shook him. "Recon." She called to him, "Hey, Recon! Wake up!" She heard Recon moan a bit, then he opened his eyes, and without warning, raised himself fast. They hit each other on the head, and they both recoiled in pain, rubbing the spots they hit each other.

"What was that for?!" Leafa scolded him. "I didn't see you there, Leafa!" he retorted, opening his eyes and looking around, "So, uh, where are we?" "I don't know." She answered, raising herself to her feet and looked around. Recon got to his feet, and he started to look around.

"Sure is black and quiet here." he stated, "Was there a bug in the system? Are we in some part of ALO we don't know about?" He waved his hand in front of him, trying to produce his menu, but it didn't appear. "Hey, what gives?" he asked, waving his hand a few times, trying to produce his screen. Leafa saw him trying, and she tried as well. Nothing. "Why can't we produce our menus?" Recon asked, furiously waving both of his hands all around him, now desperate. Then, by accident, one of his flailing hands smacked Leafa's butt, who screamed and kicked him in retaliation. "Hey, don't take advantage of this!" she yelled at him. "I didn't mean too!" he responded, getting back to his feet.

Suddenly, he figured something out. "Hey, I don't see a life bar on me or you." he noticed. Leafa looked to see if hers or Recon's were there, but they weren't. "Ok, this is very strange." She said nervously, looking down herself. "I mean, we're still in our ALO avatars, yet we don't have life bars, we don't have menus. It's almost as if this is..." "Real life?" finished a voice.

The two of them turned to where it came from. There, standing alone, was a young girl with blond hair and a simple white dress. The two stared at her as she walked to them. "Yes, everything you see right now is real," she continued, "Your bodies, this place, even me, well sort of." she added, stopping to meet them. "Who-who are you?" Leafa asked, recognizing her voice as the one who beckoned them in, "And what do you mean this is all real." "Forgive me," she answered, "My name is Namine. As for what I said, it is true. This is real. You die here, you die for real."

Leafa and Recon gasped. They couldn't believe it. Leafa hadn't been this shocked since she discovered Kirito to be her brother. "No," she stammered, falling back to the floor, "this can't be true. This is...just some glitch in the game, isn't it?" Namine shook her head. "But why are we in our avatars?" Recon asked, waving to his attire, "If this is real, surely we must go back to our normal looks." "I used a special program." Namine explained, "A program that a man name DiZ created. It digitizes your minds from this 'Sword Arts Online' world, and sends your data through a wormhole into our dimension."

"Wait a minute, you said 'our dimension'." Leafa quoted, "Does that mean..." "You are in a different dimension, yes." She answered. "And I wasn't lying when I said that your friends, Kirito, Asuna and Yui are here, too." Hearing Kirito's name made Leafa stand up once more. "Where is he?!" she asked, racing to Namine, "You have to take me to him!" "I'm afraid he is out of reach at this point." she responded, "However, I can show you what he's done."

Namine turned and waved a hand. Suddenly, another black portal opened up in front of them. She stepped towards them, then turned to the others, who didn't move. "If you want to know more, you're gonna have to trust me." she told them. Leafa and Recon turned to each other. While it was preposterous, insane, unbelievable, every word under the book in what she was saying, the fact that they were there, and the fact that she knew who Kirito, Asuna, and even Yui were undeniable. Leafa then turned backed to Namine, and nodded.

"Good." she answered, "Now before you enter, let me just do something." She waved her hand towards the two, and suddenly their bodies started to glow a bit. Suddenly they flashed brightly, and the next thing they knew, their looks changed somewhat. Neither of them had pointy ears anymore, but normal ones. Their uniforms were less frilly, and a different hue of green. Their boots, however, were the same.

Leafa's sleeves were less puffy, and had yellow stripes with her white ones, and had metal horizontal stripes. Her collar now had small red ribbons hanging down on it. Her skirt part of her clothes became knee-high. Her center ribbon tying her hair was white, while the others were still normal. Her wrist rings had green stripes. Her stockings had also lost their frills, and were replaced with green rings.

Recon's uniform were a bit less baggy, but still had some in him. He had lost his hoodie on his cardigan, so the white stripes on his sleeves reached his shoulders. His dark blue vest now had silver lining on the top and bottom, and one that connected them down the middle. His arm-guards now had silver stripes, too. His pants shortened, but still had armor plating on the bottom with dark green hemming.

Both looked down at each other, then looked at one another as Namine continued, "These clothes should suffice in this dimension. They have been given new magical properties." "Just who are are?" Leafa asked her. Namine smiled a bit as she answered, "Some people refer to me as a witch." "A witch?" Leafa and Recon repeated. Namine stepped into the portal and disappeared. The two looked at one another, and then followed Namine into the portal. For a while, they were walking a bit in the portal, then they stepped out into a dimly lit room. Inside, they found themselves surrounded by technology, with a computer in one corner with several monitors. It was rather odd-looking.

"What is this place?" Leafa asked, looking all around as Namine went to the computer. "This is a computer room underneath a mansion." She told them, typing away at the computer. "I spent some time piecing back the memories of someone here." "Piecing who's memories?" Recon asked as he and Leafa walked up to Namine at the computer. "Someone who is actually helping Kirito and Asuna out." She answered, causing the two to be surprised.

"So is my brother here?" Leafa asked, looking up at the monitor. "No." she answered, "At least, he was here, but now he's traveling to different worlds." "Traveling to different world?" Leafa echoed, absolutely shocked. Not only was she drawn to a different dimension, but now worlds too?

"What, they're flying in space right now?" Recon asked Namine. She nodded to him. "They are right now traveling from world to world, saving them from beings called the Heartless and Nobodies." she explained to them, "Not only that, but they are also looking for the one who brought them here; a man named DiZ." "DiZ?" Recon repeated. "He was the one...who found your world." Namine answered, "He discovered about how the heart can enter the world you live in, and found it interesting. Not only did he research the heart, he wanted to understand it further. That's when he discovered about the tragedy that plagued your world..."

She then tapped the keyboard, and pulled up a video of Aincrad. "He learned about the ten-thousand people who entered this world, and who were stuck there for two years." She continued as the monitor showed scenes in that time period. "It was through here that DiZ discovered the boy, Kirito, and his in-game wife, Asuna." The monitor showed both Kirito and Asuna fighting together against the Gleam Eye. Leafa and Recon were transfixed, for they never actually seen Kirito and Asuna in SAO during the two years.

"He discovered how they saved the remainder of people who were alive in the game." Namine continued, "He also discovered on how you and Kirito saved three hundred minds from being controlled, along with Asuna's." She then pulled up a video of Leafa and Kirito flying through the air and climbing to the top of the World Tree. Leafa was surprised on how much this DiZ person knew about their history. She blushed when she wondered if he knew her feelings towards Kirito during that time. True, she gave up on those feelings, but still...

"It was through this that he decided to test Kirito out." Namine said, bringing Leafa back to reality, "He believed that maybe he, along with Asuna and you could aid someone in stopping an Organization, who are cruel without a doubt, but who's goals we don't know. That's when he sent his own 'quest' to your world, to see if that would draw you three to it. Turns out, he was right." "So that quest was really meant for me, Kirito and Asuna?" Leafa asked. "Yes." Namine, pulling up the video of Kirito and Asuna facing the Guard Armor, "They defeated the Heartless he sent, just as he predicted. So he sent them to this dimension, where he discovered another hypothesis he made to also be true."

"A hypothesis?" Leafa asked, turning to Recon, who was just as confused as she was, "What kind of hypothesis?" Namine turned around to Leafa. "One that was a guess not only for Kirito and Asuna, but for you as well." "Me?!" Leafa exclaimed, stepping back in surprise. Namine got off the chair and looked at her. "I think it's time for you to awaken, Suguhu, a.k.a Leafa. You must do a Dive into your Heart."

**Chapter 3: The Torn Pages**

Kirito, Asuna were taking out the last of the Heartless in front of them. Sora, Donald and Goofy were doing so as well. "Well, that's that." Kirito stated, putting his Oblivion away once he saw no Heartless. "Same here." Asuna agreed, putting hers away, "So how many did you get?" "Well, if we only counted the ones to end the tiebreaker, about eight. You?" Kirito asked. Asuna grinned as she had her hands out wide, only one of her thumbs curled in. "Nine?!" Kirito exclaimed, then he sighed deeply. "You'll pay for our next lunch, right?" Asuna asked him eagerly as Yui landed on her shoulder. Kirito nodded in remorse for the bargain he made.

He looked up and saw Sora pick up Pooh's storybook, an he walked the other two to them. The book looked a bit torn, but apart from that, it looked fine on the outside. "Think it's okay?" Sora asked. "Gawrsh, maybe ya better go back and make sure Pooh's all right." Goofy suggested. "But what about Merlin?" Donald asked. "Well, I guess we could explain..." Kirito suggested. "Great!" Sora answered as he looked to him.

Sora handed Donald the book, and he opened it to the page it was on before. A light bursted out of the book, and it sucked Sora in. Just as the light disappeared with him, Asuna looked in the book pages, and noticed that it changed slightly. "It seems like parts of the book have been torn out on the inside." she examined. "You're right." Kirito agreed, also looking at it. "We better bring it back into the house." Goofy told the group, who nodded in agreement. They walked back into the house, and place the storybook back onto the table again.

Just as they did so, a puff of smoke appeared behind them, and Merlin appeared before them. "Oh, I see that Sora couldn't wait to go it, did he?" he stated to them. "He's just checking on Pooh right now." Goofy told him. "We were attacked by a bunch of Heartless, and they grabbed the book during the struggle." Kirito explained, "We don't know what kind of damage they did to the book, so Sora's going in to check it out." "Oh, my," the old wizard gasped, "If the Heartless tampered with the book, then obviously something must me wrong. Please, do tell more."

Donald and Goofy were explaining on their end about what happened during the fight. Kirito and Asuna, who were fighting separately from them, only filled in parts about what they did.

Suddenly, they heard something come out of the book, and the group turned to see Sora pop out of the book. "Couldn't be bothered to wait up for an old wizard, eh?" he asked Sora. "Sorry about that..." Sora apologized as the book closed behind him. "How are things in there?" Merlin asked him as he walked to them. "Well..." Sora started, looking a bit worried, "Pooh seems to have forgotten all about me. And not just me, all his other friends, too." Donald and Goofy were startled at this news. Kirito, Asuna and Yui weren't as surprised, but they were concern.

"I was afraid of that..." Merlin moaned. He walked over to the book and opened it up, and examined the pages. "I suspect it has something to do with those pages the Heartless stole." he suspected, "You'll have to collect the torn pages and repair the book to put things right." He closed the book and turned to them. "This book is one of the world's most cherished elements." he told them, "I'd been meaning to tell Leon I'd found it, but perhaps we should keep it between us for now." "We will!" Sora and the others responded

"Good, good..." Merlin muttered, walking over to them, "Now the book isn't all that's cherished. This is for you, Sora." He handed a pendant to Sora, and it had a picture of a baseball and bat on it. "What is it?" Sora asked. "Simply concentrate on it with all your heart," Merlin explained, "and you need only say the word to summon an ally who will help in times of need." "Like Simba and Mushu did, the last time we were here?" Goofy asked. "Precisely." Merlin answered.

"Summons?" Kirito repeated. "Yes," Merlin responded as he turned to Kirito and Asuna, "Now, I assume you've never heard about summons before, right?" Kirito and Asuna shook their heads. "Do you know, Yui?" Kirito asked the pixie on Asuna's shoulder. "Let me think here..." she muttered, then she concentrated, thinking about everything she knew, then answered, "Ok, I have the answer. Basically, it's like a person's heart is connected with those charms. You need to connect your heart with the ally you want to bring forth, and he or she will come to you." "Wow, very handy." Asuna stated. "Yes, but just like your Valor Form, there is a time limit to how long you can keep the ally out." Yui warned him. "I think maybe Sora should hold onto those charms." Kirito stated, "It's more than likely he can connect with people's hearts better than us." Asuna nodded in agreement.

Kirito turned to Sora. "We'll let you use the summons in the group, ok?" he told him. "Sure," Sora responded with his usual smile, "I'm sure you'll be good friends with them, too." Kirito, Asuna and Yui smiled in agreement. "Now go forth, with your friends by your side!" Merlin told them. "Thanks, Merlin." Sora thanked him, "We're worried about Pooh, so we'll be back once we've found those torn pages."

They were turning to go back to their ship when Asuna cried, "Wait! Hold on!" "What is it?" Sora asked. Asuna turned to Kirito, who realized what she was about to say. He sighed, then told them, "I'm gonna get us some lunch at this town. Just pick the place and I'll pay for your meal." "Oh, boy!" Donald cheered. "Come to think of it, I am a bit peckish." Goofy realized as he rubbed his stomach. "Then lets go eat!" Sora exclaimed. Asuna and Yui giggled as Kirito sighed deeply again. Sora and the others rushed out to the upper part of town, Kirito slowly following behind them. "I hope I gathered enought munny." he moaned, then he closed the door behind him.

**Chapter 4: The Expected Keyblade and Unexpected Power**

Recon was looking down at the sleeping Leafa, who's back was leaning on the wall. "How long is this gonna take?" he asked, impatient and worried. "It shouldn't be long now," Namine answered, walking up next to him, "Unless she is having difficulty fighting the darkness." Recon looked at Namine, wondering what she meant. After all, this was unusual to see and understand.

_(Flashback) _"Dive into my Heart?" Leafa asked, confused. "Yes," Namine answered, "Kirito and Asuna have endured the same trial, and have both come out successful. This trial allowed them to wield special powers in order to fight the Heartless and Nobodies." "So, you think I might be able to take this trial, too?" Leafa asked. Namine nodded.

"Give it a try, Leafa." Recon asked, "Who knows what kind of power you might get, but it might help improve you in ALO." Leafa really wasn't thinking of the game back home. But still, her stepbrother did take it, and so did Asuna. I wonder what they are like with their powers? She came to a decision, and nodded.

"Very well then." Namine responded, walking to one of the walls, "You should probably lay back here. The trial requires you to fall asleep." Leafa did so, leaning her back up against the wall as she sat down. "I'll cast a spell so you can go into a slumber. There, your trial will begin." Leafa was a bit hesitant, but she nodded. Namine waved her hand across Leafa's face muttering, "_Sleep_". Suddenly, Leafa felt a powerful wave of drowsiness enveloping her. Her eyelids started to droop slowly, and she fell asleep.

_(Flashback Ends)_ "Say, what kind of power will she gain from this trial?" Recon asked Namine, who went to the computer again. "A power that very few people are allowed to have." she responded, "DiZ was fortunate to guess that Leafa, Asuna and Kirito all have this power." "Do you think I have it, too?" Recon asked excitedly. Namine turned to him and shook her head, making him bow his head in despair.

Suddenly, the two heard Leafa moan. They turned to see her turn a bit, and open her eyes. "Your awake!" Recon exclaimed, rushing over to meet her as she stretched her arms and yawned, "How do you feel? Anything different?"

Leafa got to her feet and looked groggy for a second, then she smacked her cheeks to wake herself up. "That was a weird dream I had." was the first thing she said, "I really don't know what just happened. I mean, I had to chose a power to gain and lose, I saw dark creatures, a copy of myself, Recon was in my dream asking me a question." "What'd I ask?" Recon asked her. "Something about what my wish was." she answered, rubbing her eyes, "That was very confusing."

"That was the trial." Namine told her, walking up to the two, "Now you have passed it, I believe you have the power to summon your Keyblade." "My key what?" Leafa asked, confused. "Imagine you are trying to produce a weapon into your hand." Namine explained, "The Keyblade shall come to you if you concentrate." Leafa was a bit confused, but she was willing to give it a shot.

She looked down at the spot where her sheath and sword should have been, but they were no longer there. She decided to try acting like she was about to pull her sword out. She placed her hand inward, like she was grasping her sword, and whipped her hand out. Suddenly, out of the blue, a weapon was produced into her hand. It was a large key, with a green stem and a light blue and light green hand guard. the teeth of the weapon looked a lot like pan pipes. It also had a keychain on the hilt, with a red feather on the end.

Recon had to step back in order not to get hit by her newly produced weapon, and he looked stunned. Namine, on the other hand, looked pleased at this result. Leafa looked at her newly produced weapon, startled by its' sudden appearance. "Is this the power you said my brother and Asuna have?" she asked, tilting her Keyblade around. "Indeed, it is." Namine responded, "They each have a different Keyblade, and each have their own power to fight the Heartless. That Keyblade there is called 'Fairy Harp'." "Fairy Harp..." Asuna echoed, holding it out like she would with any of her swords.

"Awesome!" Recon cheered, "That's a pretty cool weapon you have there." "Looks a bit childish to me." Leafa observed, looking specifically at the pan pipes at the end, "I mean, it doesn't even have a blade to it." "Keyblades are powerful regardless," Namine explained, "and although it doesn't look it, the Keyblade had the same functions as a sword." "Well, if you say so." Leafa responded, swinging the Keyblade opposite to the others. It felt pretty light.

"Now that you have your weapon, and I have mine," Recon stated, pulling his dagger from his back, "We can definitely find your brother again, and stop whatever comes our way." "I'm afraid your weapon won't work as well against the Heartless." Namine told him, "Your weapon doesn't work as strongly as the Keyblade." "I don't care." Recon responded, pointing his dagger out, "I can still fight to defend Leafa. I've been training to do so."

He slashed his dagger around, demonstrating his skills with it. However, he failed to notice the crack in the floor, and he stumbled on it, causing him to fall into Leafa. They both dropped their weapons onto the ground, Recon's dagger landed on top of the Keyblade. "Watch it!" Leafa shouted, shoving him back, "You could've actually hurt me with that! Remember, we're in a real world." She looked a bit shaky when she realized what she had just said. She was right. If she died here, she could die in the real world.

"My bad." Recon answered, reaching down to pick up Leafa's Keyblade and his dagger on top of it. He lifted the two blades up of the ground, holding it longways. "Here." he said, presenting her sword in both of his hands as if he was a knight presenting a blade to a king. "Thank you." she responded, grasping both the dagger and Keyblade.

At her touch, both weapons started to glow a bit, more the Keyblade was glowing onto the dagger. All three people in the room were shocked as to what was happening. Leafa dropped the dagger into Recon's hands, where it still glowed a bit. Suddenly, the dagger's blade lengthened a bit, and a small keychain produced at the end of the hilt, along with, what looked like, a symbol of a fairy on the end. It stopped glowing after its' transformation, and Recon looked down at it.

"Wha-what just happened?" he asked, holding his new dagger out, and examining it. "I...don't know." Leafa answered, looking just as surprised as Recon was, then she looked at Namine, who also looked surprised, "Do you know what just happened, Namine?" "I-I've never seen this happen before." she answered, "Let me see your weapon."

Recon gave his dagger to Namine, and she examined it. Finally, she handed it back to Recon as she stated, "I'm not sure if this is correct, but I think I understand what just happened. Your hearts share a close bond with one another, I assume?" Recon looked at Leafa, who blushed a bit as to say yes. "When your weapons and yourselves touched one another, the Keyblade detected this bond." Namine continued to explain, "When it did, it somehow granted a fragment of its' power over to your dagger, making it not only stronger, but also capable of fighting the Heartless."

"Really?!" Recon asked excitedly, "So I can fight like Leafa can?" "That's not to say that your dagger is a Keyblade." Namine told him, "I'm saying that it has one of the Keyblade's powers." "I don't care." Recon retorted, the flare of ambition glowing in his eyes, "I now can fight with Leafa and defend her, too. As long as I have that, I don't care if I have a Keyblade or not."

Recon turned to Leafa, and smiled eagerly. "I promise you, Leafa, I won't let anything happen to you." He stated, "I may not be as strong as you, but I want to do everything I can to protect you. This I swear!" Leafa looked a bit surprised at these words, and she couldn't help but blush a bit. Finally, she smiled as she said, "Sounds great to me. Let's find my brother again so we can go back home." The two raised their weapon's and they crossed them in front of one another. Namine could definitely see the strong connection they have through this, and giggled a bit.

"I'm glad to see your cooperation in this." she acknowledged, watching the two as they put away their weapons, "Here's something that also might help." she waved her hand again, and out in front of her came a pair of green orbs with four yellow stars around each. "In this ALO world of yours, you can cast magic." she recalled, "When you came to this world, you lost the ability to do so. However, these are this dimension's magic. Once given to you, you are granted its' power."

The two orbs floated to Recon and Leafa, and dove into their bodies. Both looked a bit startled to see the orbs go straight into them. "These orbs grant you the 'Aero' spell." Namine continued, "They are wind-based attacks." "Cool." Recon said, tapping his chest where the orb went into. "Simply say which spell you plan to use, and you will do so. Simple." Namine explained, turning to the computer again and tapping away, "There are other magic orbs I haven't found, but they will come in due time. For now, we must be prepared to save someone now."

"Save someone?" Leafa asked, walking Recon over to the computer. "Who would that be? My brother?" "No, your brother and Asuna are doing just fine." Namine responded, "Though this person is more important." She then pulled up on the screen a picture staring out to the ocean from a beach, a girl that looked a lot like Namine with auburn hair. She had a pink, strapless mini-dress with a white halter top underneath and black straps around her waist. She also wore pink shoes.

"Who's that girl?" Leafa asked, staring at the girl on the screen. "That girl's name is Kairi." Namine responded, "And she plays an important role in this adventure."

**Well, that's another for the books. Pretty interesting twist to the story, don't you think? Just wait, It'll get better as time goes on, and thing will make more sense.**

**Next episode is what people have been waiting for: the Olympus Coliseum. For a story plot involving Kirito and Asuna, I'm maybe gonna go with them trying to prove they have what it takes to be true heroes. Otherwise, this might be more around Sora in this part, as I should let it. Give me ideas by leaving comments and reviews on the story. I'll update soon also with new additions to Jiminy's Journal, adding Leafa and Recon.**


	9. Ep 7 Olympus Coliseum! Underworld Brawl

**Chapter 1: Journey into the Underworld**

Inside the Gummi Ship, Sora, Donald and Goofy were facing off an immense pirate ship-like Heartless. They were peppering away at the enemies it produced and its' mouth when it opened. Yui was held tightly in Asuna's arms while Kirito was watching Sora and the other two control the Gummi Ship. Finally, the Heartless started to explode on the inside, and it fell downward, smoking and beaten up. "We did it, you guys!" Sora shouted as Donald and Goofy cheered with glee. They turned the Gummi ship around and flew out of the vortex, through the shining Keyhole, and out into space again.

Asuna let go of Yui, absolutely frightened. "No one ever said that there would be ghosts Heartless, too." she argued, remembering the Heartless that came out of the pirate ship. "You think they're creepy," Sora started, "There's this one town that is full of ghosts and creepy things called Halloween Town. We have a friend there named Jack Skellington, you should really meet him." "Uh..." Asuna stammered, scared to think what kind of place 'Halloween Town' would be like.

"Asuna, you're not afraid of that, are ya?" Donald asked her. Asuna kept a tight lip, her cheeks getting rosy, but Kirito knew that she was afraid. When it came to creepy-crawly stuff or phantoms, Asuna was terrified of them. Regardless, he wasn't gonna tell the guys about that.

_(Cue Opening Theme, then continue once done)_

"So anyways," Kirito stated, seeing the next world, "Where are we?" "Let me see here." Yui answered, but Sora stopped her. "Hey, wait!" he shouted, "That's the Olympus Coliseum!" "You're right!" agreed Goofy, leaning into the window to see, with Donald climbing on top of him, "I wonder how Hercules is doing."

"Hercules?" Kirito echoed, remembering that the name was quite well known in greek mythology back home. "Yeah, Herc's a friend of ours." Sora explained, "He and Phil are both good friends. Not to mention we have access to the Coliseum so we can compete in the games and fight others." "You get to fight in the actual Greek Coliseum?" Kirito asked, somewhat intrigued. "Oh, I can see where this is going." Asuna sighed, looking at Kirito as he grinned slightly, "Still, a battle in the Coliseum is something you don't do everyday. Let's go."

The gang got from their seats and walked to the transporter just as Yui went to the control panel. However, they stopped when they saw some large piece of rock come flying from the world close to them. When it got close, Kirito and Asuna noticed that it not only was made of stone, but it was alive, and it had two heads, arms and legs.

"What was that?!" Kirito exclaimed as Asuna gasped. "Looks like Hercules is doing well." Sora simply said, seeing the Rock Titan pass by them. Kirito and Asuna both looked at one another. From Greek mythology, they heard that Hercules was given godly strength. This was definitely proof that the books had it right.

Yui set up the coordinates for the transporter, and flew to the others, and they teleported down to the surface.

When they came out, they found themselves in a place that looked like it was underground. It was definitely creepy, with stalagmites coming out of the ground, a purple lake right next to them and glowing torches around them. There were three different doors around the room; one was blocked, the other was where they landed close to, and the final one led to a flight of glowing staircases. They walked around, looking at the place they landed in.

"Not exactly what I had in mind." Asuna stated. "I don't know," said Kirito as he looked around, "it doesn't look too bad down here. Kind of reminds me a bit of the dungeons at SAO." "Are ya' sure this is the Coliseum?" Goofy asked Sora, who looked just as confused as the others. "It's that way!" Donald pointed out, walking to a set of open doors with glowing staircases that went upwards. "Oh...Guess we were a little off." Sora stated. "Sorry," Yui said apologetically, "I guess I mis-calculated the coordinates."

The group walked towards the doors when they heard a scream coming from behind them. They turned to see a women being chased by a bunch of unusual-looking dogs. She stumbled over and fell, and they were about to jump upon her. "Heartless!" Sora shouted, and he led the others into charging at the dogs. They saw Sora and the others coming and they took off, leaving the women to lay there on the floor.

Kirito bent down to the women, who was sitting up, and lent a hand to help pick her up. "Thanks, but...I'm fine." she told him. She turned to their crowd, and was slightly surprised to see who they were, or rather what their age was. She was a young woman, with a pink dress and brown hair held in a ponytail by a yellow hairband, and she had some makeup on.

She got to her feet and brushed her dress. "And you're suppose to be?" she asked them snootily. "I'm Kirito." he answered, "And this is Asuna and that's Yui." Asuna bowed slightly in greeting her as Yui waved. "I'm Sora." Sora introduced, waving a hand to his friends, "He's Donald, and that's Goofy. We came to see how Hercules is doing."

The woman eyed each of them suspiciously. "You know Wonderboy?" she asked them. "Yeah, 'cause we're heroes, too!" Donald proclaimed. "Ya mean junior heroes, Donald." Goofy corrected him. "Junior heroes?" Asuna asked Sora, who shrugged in response. "Looks like we have a friend in common." chuckled the women, "Name's Megara. My friends call me Meg."

"So how's Herc?" Sora asked her. "Wonderboy? Well, he's duking it out at the Coliseum every day." Meg explained, "You know, 'A hero's work is never done' and all that. He's ready to drop, but he keeps on fighting. Even Wonderboy has his limits, though. These opponents are bad news...special deliveries from Hades himself..."

"Hades?!" Donald cried. Kirito and Asuna both looked at one another. Hades, as they recalled, was well known as the ruler of the dead. So even he was part of this world, too. "Right." Meg answered, "Lord of the Underworld. I was on my way to see him. Maybe I can get Hades to give Wonderboy a breather. If anything happened to that kid..." She looked down, slightly worried.

"Sounds to me like you two are more than just friends!" Yui assumed, staring at Meg's expression. "Oh...uh, I mean..." she stammered, and Asuna smiled in confirmation.

"We'll go have a little take with Hades." Sora stated, "I'd hate for anything to happen to you on your way to see him." "You really want to do that?" Meg asked them, seeing the serious looks on their faces, "Well, it looks like you know what you're doing. I guess I'll take you up on that offer. But...let's keep this whole chat-with-Hades thing our little secret, okay?" "Our lips are sealed." Kirito and Sora said in unison, though they didn't mean too. The others nodded in agreement.

They took off into the caves, and went through the entrance, where they met the dog-like Heartless, whom Yui called them Rabid Dogs. Their barks were worse than their bites, as they could create painful sound waves with them.

They were just heading down the pass when suddenly they saw someone run by them and down the path. A man in a black coat and hood. "The Organization!" squawked Donald. "Yeah," Sora agreed. Kirito took no time, and charged ahead, chasing down the man, the others not far behind.

Kirito led the others into fighting more Heartless, who would occasionally drop certain stones and shards, for which Sora scooped up for safe keeping. All the while, they felt something was off. They didn't strike as hard, nor were Sora and Kirito able to use their Valor Forms.

Just as they went through the cave tunnels, they arrived to another open area, and they saw the man in black rushing towards them. Sora and Kirito raised their weapons, ready for a fight. However, the man ran right past them, shouting "Run! Run away!" Sora and the others looked back, and saw him rush into a black portal and disappear with it. They were wondering what he was so scared of. "Okay...?" Sora muttered, feeling the awkward moment like the others did. They took a break to catch their breath, saw a moogle shopping system and bought new gear for Donald and Goofy, and continued on.

Meanwhile, in Hades' chamber, Hades was sitting on his throne, muttering to himself, and Pete was on the other side of the room, with Pain and Panic right next to him.

"Where do they dig these freaks up? Geez, Louise." he asked himself. "Oh, they're nuttin' but trouble, the whole lot of 'em." Pete told him, "So, uh...what're you gonna do about Hercules? He's made mince meat outta every fighter you sent at him. Pretty soon, the Underworld's gonna be standing room only. Say, why don't you just pick someone already dead and save him the trouble?"

Hades leaned in angrily at Pete, who coward at his glare. Pain and Panic dove behind Pete out of fear. Hades then leaned back calmly, smiling as he said, "Dead...Dead is good! And I know just the warrior!" Pete looked frightfully at Hades, wondering what he was thinking.

**Chapter 2: Auron & the Underworld Curse**

The group proceeded out of the caves and into someplace very eerie. They were pretty high up, and green smoke seemed to float around the immense room. There were stone bridges that connected to a few platforms to the other end of the cavern.

Donald and Goofy looked nervously around, and Donald let out a shuddering moan. "I'm scared too, Donald." Goofy stated. Sora, who showed no fear, walked forward and shouted, "Hades! Come out!" looking up, and seeing a place that could be a lookout point, and lights seem to emanate up there.

Kirito and Asuna went to edge of the platform they stood on and looked down below. They saw the swirling green waters below him. "Care to take a dip?" Kirito asked Asuna sarcastically. "Not really." she responded, "But it looks like somethings in the waters." They narrowed their eyes and looked further down. Good thing their skills in SAO gave them better vision, or else they wouldn't have seen what was down there.

"They're people!" gasped Asuna. "Dead people." Kirito corrected her, "This must be where the dead congregated. Cheery." Asuna shuddered as she stood up. "Let-let's just meet this Hades guy so we can get out!" she stammered. She rushed on ahead, Kirito following from behind.

The team started to cross the stone pathway all the way to the caves above them. Several Heartless got in the way, including some plant-like ones called Creeper Plants. When they got to the end, they saw a pair of opened double doors with stairs curving up. The team looked at one another, then Sora and Kirito led the others up the stairs.

Up in Hades' chamber, Pete, Pain and Panic found themselves staring down into a swirling green abyss, which was uncovered after Hades removed the central table. "By the by, uh..." Pete started nervously, "What's down there?" "Just the Underworld's deepest dungeon." Hades answered, walking next to the trio and chuckling, "This time I'm bringing out the mother of all bad guys."

Pete looked at Hades, who's sinister face was staring down the abyss, and flinched at his look. "You don't say?" he asked, backing away from him and into a corner with Pain and Panic, "Well...maybe I should go."

Hades produced two fiery orbs from his hands and tossed them into the abyss Suddenly, there was an explosion, followed by dark smoke, for which a figure of a man could be seen within it. The hole disappeared, and the man landed lightly onto his feet. He was a man in his youth, with short, dark grey, spiky hair. He had scars on his face, and one over his eye, which he kept shut. He had on a blood red haori with blue lining, and was held with a black and blue strap. His left arm was tucked into the front of his haori. He wore a brown shoulder pad on his left shoulder which was decorated in a design. Under his haori, he wore black shirt, pants and shoes, which were armor plated. His grey collar had intersecting brown straps. Finally, in his hand was his sword, which looked like a zanbato.

Hades laughed as he saw him make his appearance. "Let's cut to the chase." he stated as he got serious, "Here's the deal I'm gonna offer you. I let you out of the slammer, no strings, you'll be free as a bird." the man turned to Pete, who was scared as he waved slightly at him. "And all for one little job." Hades continued, "Fight Hercules, in the Coliseum, to the death!"

The man looked at Hades, and grinned slightly. "This is my story." he quoted as he raised his sword over his shoulder, "And you're not part of it." "Did you forget who you're talking to?" Hades asked him angrily, "I am the Lord of the Dead!" "Heh, no wonder no one wants to die." the man replied. "You are FIRED!" shouted Hades, his body burning red in fury. He charged at the man, who stopped him with his blade.

Sora and Kirito ran up the stairs everybody to see a scene take place; In one corner, Pete stood there with a couple of small, demon-like creatures. In the center, a man in a red haori brawling against a man with a black toga, a red body, and fiery hair. Sora and Kirito gasped as the others ran up to meet them.

"Hades!" Donald shouted. "That's Hades?!" Asuna shouted. "You again?!" Hades asked as he was holding back the man's sword. This was the distraction the man needed, and he released his sword from Hades' grip and made a slash at him, sending him skidding away from him.

"Fight!" the man growled, and he charged at Hades again. He attempted to make a slash, but Hades grabbed it and tossed him back, then delivered a fiery punch at him. He was about to send to fireballs at the man laying on the floor when Sora and Kirito intruded, their Keyblades at the ready.

"Get up!" Sora shouted to him. "We can take him, Sora." Kirito stated as Asuna, Donald and Goofy joined them, producing their weapons. The five of them charged at Hades, and started to deliver attacks onto him. But something was wrong. Their attacks weren't doing anything to him. Their magic, their strength, all of the attacks they did couldn't do a dang thing to him. Not only that, but the team seemed to be weaker than ever.

"Something's wrong!" Donald cried. "I feel kinda funny." Sora stated. "Yeah, me too." Kirito stated. "That's right!" Hades replied, "See, that's the thing. In the Underworld, heroes are zeroes-comes with the territory." Hades then come flying at them, his fists flaming up again.

Then out of nowhere, the man from before came in between them and made a slash at Hades, making him disappear in a puff of black smoke and appear further away. "Go now!" the man cried to them. "But I've gotta talk to Hades!" Sora told him. "What was that?" mocked the lord of the dead, his fingers in his ears.

Sora and Kirito angrily ran to him, but the man raised a hand to stop them from fighting. "We can't fight him here!" he told the two, "We have to go-now!" Donald, Goofy and Asuna ran out of the chamber, with the other three right behind them, avoiding fireballs Hades threw at them.

The six of them ran down the stairs in a hurry. Then Kirito and Sora grabbed each of the heavy doors and closed them, sealing the entrance. Donald was panting in exhaustion from running, and he turned to them. "Is he gone?" he asked. "Don't count on it." the man answered. "Oh, crap!" Asuna stammered, and she said that for a reason. Kirito and Sora turned to see Hades right next to them. "Leaving so soon?" he asked amusingly.

Suddenly, the team found themselves surrounded by Heartless. The team had no choice but to take them all out, while at the same time avoid getting hit by Hades. The curse was a big problem, for without the Valor form, Kirito and Sora couldn't pull out their best moves.

The new guy was very strong, though. His skills as a swordsman and fighting style were first rate. He could actually keep up with Asuna and even Kirito. "You're pretty good!" Kirito said as he was back to back with the swordsman. "Hmph, you're doing pretty good yourself." he responded, seeing all of the Heartless around them, "Think you can keep up?" "Sounds simple enough." Kirito answered, and the two made their move.

They slashed at the enemies around them, displaying sword spins and sword dives at every enemy they saw. They kept alternating each move they did. Finally, the two slammed the hilts of their weapons together, and started to spin them rapidly, producing a large cyclone around them that sucked the enemies into it, causing all of the Heartless to be destroyed within it. "I guess you can keep up." the swordsman concluded, seeing Kirito's smirking face.

The group kept going and going until they finally made it out of the large cavern and back into the caves again, losing Hades in the progress. The group fell down in exhaustion, even Asuna had fallen back in exhaustion. Kirito was still standing, but he was doubled-over, panting. Auron was standing straight, but he too was panting in exhaustion.

"You're really good." Sora complimented him, "Are you some kind of hero?" The man shook his head. "No," he responded, "I'm no hero. I'm just an..." He paused as Sora and the others looked up at him.

"Auron." he said. The group looked at each other, wondering what an 'auron' is. "My name." the man told them. "I'm Sora." Sora said, getting to his feet. "Donald." the duck said, jumping onto Sora's back. "Goofy!" waved the dog as he jumped on Donald, causing the trio to collapse. "The name's Kirito." Kirito introduced as he got up, raising a hand to shake. "And I'm Asuna." Asuna added, getting to her feet.

Auron didn't take Kirito's hand, and turned to the three friends on the ground. "It seems we were fated to meet." he stated, "Maybe you need a guardian." Sora pushed Donald and Goofy off of him as he looked up. "Guardian? Thanks, but no thanks." he replied, getting to his feet and walking off. Auron chuckled a bit, seeing Sora walk off.

Sora, however, was only thinking about the battles they endured, and also thought about Kirito and Asuna. He remembered how Asuna took out Shan Yu back at Mulan's World, and how Kirito took out Dark Thorn at Beast's Castle.

_How come those guys are so good? _he wondered, turning to look at Kirito and Asuna, who were talking with Auron, _Can I be that good as well?_ Sora couldn't help it, he wanted to protect those dearest to him, but since Kirito and Asuna joined them, he wondered if he could meet the expectations, and become strong like them. He will find out eventually as he led the others through the cave.

**Chapter 3: Vs. Cerberus**

Pete was sitting on the table in Hades' Chamber as he was speaking to the Lord of the Dead himself, who was pacing back and forth. "I got Heartless all over the Underworld now." he told him, "So you can leave those pipsqueaks to me." Pete hopped of the table as he continued, "Look, pal, you just keep working on turning Hercules into a Heartless. Then he'll be all mine."

Hades turned to Pete, flaming red in fury. "This is my underworld, you idiot!" she shouted to Pete, causing the big guy to fall back in fear, "I'll handle this MYSELF!" Hades snapped his fingers, and a large three-headed dog appeared at his window. "Cerberus, go!" he ordered, and the guard-dog of the underworld ran off in pursuit of the other six.

Meanwhile, Sora was leading Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy and Auron through the twists and turns of the maze. There were much more Heartless around than before, and getting through all of them was much more difficult than before. Not to mention Sora was was getting revved up, for he wanted to prove himself strong compared to Kirito and Asuna.

They had just made it to the entrance room of the caves, and were rushing to the door out of there. However, the door was sealed tight. Donald was the first to the door, and he looked up it. "What? It's closed!" he squawked. The five heroes tried shoving it open, but it wouldn't budge. "Come on, open!" Sora moaned as he pushed. Donald backed away and looked up, and he saw a large lock with chains blocking the door. The others heard Donald and looked up at the lock. "I see, so that's it." Kirito said, gritting his teeth.

Then out of nowhere, Sora's Keyblade appeared in his hand. Sora looked down at it as Auron walked up to him. "Will that open it?" he asked. "Yeah. I think so." Sora answered. He was just waving it to the keyhole of the lock when they heard a growl from behind, the group turned to see where it came from. "Hurry!" he shouted, getting into his fighting stance.

Suddenly, a massive three-headed dog came leaping in, ready to fight them. Kirito and Asuna joined with Auron. "That must be the guard of the Underworld, Cerberus!" Asuna cried, remembering her Greek mythology.

Sora looked at them, then looked up at the lock before him. He waved his Keyblade up at it, and a glowing light shot out of it, unlocking the door. Donald and Goofy pushed the door open and they ran out. Kirito, Asuna and Auron blocked each of their heads, but the beast was still strong. Sora was about to join his friends, but he saw the trio fighting and ran back to meet them. The battle had just begun.

The quartet of sword fighters ran in to fight Cerberus. Their combination of attacks kept dealing damage to the monster dog. He leapt into the air and nearly pounced on all of them. I say nearly because unfortunately, Kirito was still underneath him. The shock of the monster's attack sent him flying back.

Asuna was distracted by this attack, and didn't notice the dog's tail whip around to meet her. She was sent backwards from the attack, but she flipped in midair and skidded to her feet. Auron was spinning in the air with his sword, slicing in fury. Sora kept striking each of the heads with his Keyblade at random. Asuna and Kirito got back into the battle again, ready to fight some more.

Sora was striking the middle dog's head, when he saw the two other heads come in at him, about to bit him. Sora braced his arms and legs out, stopping them but leaving him vulnerable to an attack by the middle one. It leaned back and was about to come in at Sora, its' fangs open wide. Sora immediately flipped himself out from between the other two heads, and managed to stick his Keyblade upward into the fangs jaws, stopping it. He got onto the middle head, and released his Keyblade from his mouth. The head of the dog kept trying to throw him off, so Sora made a leap into the air, and he charged up his Keyblade for the next attack. Then he came down and slammed his weapon hard onto the dog, causing it to fall unconscious.

"Now's our chance!" Sora shouted to the others. Kirito and Auron made several furious slashes onto each side of Cerberus' body before Sora and Asuna came flying in, and piercing right through each side, believing the fight to be over.

The four swordsman got together, and looked at the dog, who moved no more. "We did it!" Sora shouted, jumping into the air. "Couldn't have finished it without that crazy stunt you pulled." Kirito acknowledged, "I gotta say, you are just plain crazy." "Look who's talking." Sora retorted, elbowing him, and causing the trio of Keyblade wielders to laugh.

Auron, meanwhile, was looking at the beast, eyeing it to see if it was dead. Suddenly, the eyes lit up on the dog, and it got up, surprising the others. "Here we go again!" Sora moaned, getting into fighting position. "No, we should probably just go." Asuna suggested, backing to the door. Kirito and Sora looked at each other, and nodded in agreement.

"Come on!" Donald shouted to them as they came dashing through the door, Auron not far behind. Asuna and Kirito went to each side of the door, and started to close the door. Sora, Donald and Goofy all made faces at Cerberus as it came pouncing at the door just as it sealed shut. That battle was over.

"Whew..." sighed Sora, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Couldn't agree more." Asuna seconded, stretching her back, trying to relax a bit. "Don't get too comfortable guys." Kirito said seriously, "We weren't able to speak to Hades, so were only back to square one. We promised Meg we would talk to him." "Yeah, we know." Sora responded, "But that darn Underworld curse made things difficult. We can't speak to him right now. At least, not at this point." "Let's figure out a way to break the curse so we can go speak to him again." Asuna suggested. The boys nodded.

Donald and Goofy were looking around, realizing something. "What happened to Auron?" Goofy asked. The trio of Keyblade wielders looked around. There was no sight of him. "He can take care of himself." Sora answered, "Let's go find Meg. Then we can try this again." Sora led the group towards the doors to the shining stairs, the group walking from behind. It was time to reach the surface.

**Chapter 4: Phil & The Shadows of Heroes**

Hades was sitting on his throne once more, looking at Pete, who was explaining to him about the Keyblade, with Pain and Panic right next to him. "Let me see if I got this right," Hades recalled, "Those brats' Keyblades work on any lock?" "That right." Pete answered boastfully.

Hades chuckled a bit at this news. "Have I ever told you about the killer coliseum we have right here in the Underworld?" Hades asked, "It makes the one upstairs look like an Olympic kiddie pool." "Then that's the place we're gonna put an end to Herc the Jerk's winnin' streak." Pete concluded, slamming his fist onto the table before him.

"Problem." Hades cut him off, "Zeus locked it tight." Pete moaned, looking grumpy for a minute. Hades chuckled a bit, and Pete, confused at why he was laughing suddenly realized what he was getting at. "Bingo," Hades answered, seeing the realization on Pete's face, "All we gotta do is swipe one of those keys, and then reopen the Underdrome!"

Pete looked surprised, but he shook his head in disagreement. "Hate to tell ya, but those keys is kinda particular." He explained to Hades, "It won't work for just anybody. And those kids ain't no pushovers." Hades looked slightly ticked at this, but then had a revelation. "I think this calls for a woman's touch." He snapped his fingers, and a puff of smoke appeared in his raised palm, revealing a figure of Meg.

Up in the Coliseum lobby, was sitting at one of the seats when she felt an ominous presence. She looked around, shuddering, feeling the unmistakable chills of someone about to use her.

Meanwhile, Sora led the crew up the long flight of stairs to a pair of large, wooden doors with pictures of lightning bolts on them. Sora opened them, and Kirito and Asuna gasped. They finally were introduced to the Coliseum. It was huge, with two large sculptures of warriors with their swords raised, crossing each other at the front. The doors to the interior of the Coliseum were right in front of them. It was like they went back into the time period of the Ancient Greeks.

"Now I could brawl in a place like this." Kirito stated, walking out to get a better view of the Coliseum. "It's fantastic!" Asuna exclaimed, looking at every detail of the outside. "Gawrsh, this sure does bring back memories!" Goofy reminisced. Sora was looking at Kirito and Asuna, who were transfixed on the Coliseum. "Wanna go inside?" he asked them. "Do we?!" Kirito responded excitedly. Asuna merely nodded excitedly.

Sora was leading the group to the entrance when the door opened. The man who opened it was extremely muscular, wearing an orangish-brown, sleeveless armor with metal skirt, a brown belt with a gold medallion on it, and a blue cape. He also had a sword on his belt. His sandals were knee high, with cross straps on it, as well as two wristbands. He also had a headband that pulled back his brownish hair. He also looked tired.

He sighed deeply, then saw Sora and the others walk up to him. "Sora! Donald, Goofy!" he addressed happily, "When'd you get here?" "Hey, Herc." waved Sora, Donald and Goofy greeted him too. "That's Hercules?!" Asuna and Kirito exclaimed, seeing the man before him.

Hercules walked up to the group, and stared at the people he didn't know. "You guys with Sora?" he asked them. "We-we sure are!" stammered Kirito, intrigued to see a mythological figure, "I'm Kirito. It's an honor to meet you." He raised his hand to Hercules, and they shook. _Man, what a grip! _Kirito thought as he winced in the grasp. "I'm Asuna." she waved, not planning to shake after seeing Kirito's expression. "and I'm Yui!" chimed the pixie as she leapt out of Kirito's pocket and landed on his shoulder.

Hercules let go of Kirito's hand and looked at Sora. "You on another adventure?" he asked him. Sora looked up and saw Meg up at the entrance. "Yeah," he answered, "trackin' down some friends, wipin' out some Heartless." "Junior heroes, always busy!" Herc quoted, clapping Sora's hand. "You know it!" Sora replied, not even flinching from his grip. Kirito wasn't sure whether Hercules restrained himself, or Sora was that strong. He couldn't tell.

Hercules led the group into the lobby of the Coliseum, where they saw some trophies of Hercules wins along the walls. Kirito and Asuna also noticed a couple with Sora, Donald and Goofy's names on them. _These guys are that famous?! _They thought in unison. They turned and walked over to Sora and the others, who were staring at Herc, who was sitting, and Meg, who stood next to him.

"So, did you find those friends of yours?" he asked the trio. "Still working on it." Sora answered, "When we got here, we ran into Meg-" he stopped himself from saying where they met her, and followed through with, "Meg-mega trouble, I mean! So we had to help somebody out. We tried to go teach Hades a thing or two, but the Underworld drains away all our strength." "That's why we came up here." Kirito cut in, walking forward, "We need to find a way to stop the curse from getting to us. Got anything that'll stop it?"

"Well, there is a stone that guards against the Underworld's curse." Hercules mentioned "The gods on Mount Olympus use it whenever they have to go down there." "Should've figured that there were Greek gods in this world as well." whispered Asuna, causing Kirito to look back at her, smirking in agreement of the whole confusion.

"Think we could use it?" Sora asked Hercules. "Sure, why not!" he answered, "I'll go get it for you." "Thanks!" Donald responded. "Real nice of you!" Goofy complimented him. "Now we can go enter the Underworld and take on Hades without any problems!" Kirito exclaimed. "But Hades is no pushover, even if you've got the Olympus Stone." Hercules told them, putting a downer on the moment, "And I have a match today, so I can't go with you..."

He got to his feet, and looked at them with a flare of optimism. "Know what you need?" he asked, "Training! Why don't you go talk to Phil?" "Phil?" Asuna echoed, looking at Kirito, who had no idea who he was. "Hey, good idea!" Sora answered. "He may even check your friends out." Herc added, looking at Kirito and Asuna, "He might evaluate their hero quality, and see if they're good enough."

"Oh believe me, they're good!" Sora told him, wrapping an arm around Kirito, "These guys are already heroes from where they come from, especially Kirito." The black swordsman couldn't help but feel a little proud at Sora's acknowledgement, but he waved in Asuna so she could be acknowledged as well.

"Phil should be in the Coliseum right now, preparing some stuff for practice." Herc told them waving to the entrance to the arena. "Got it!" Sora nodded, and he led the group into the arena. "So is Phil some kind of trainer or something?" Kirito asked Sora. "Yeah," he replied, "He's Herc's coach." "Wow, that's a big job." Asuna commented.

The group reached the arena, and saw the immensity of it. There were stands on either side of the arena, pillars on every corner of it, and in the arena was an unusual-looking person who was fixing up special urns. He was very short, had some belly, and had horns, legs, and a tail of a goat. He was definitely not a good-looking guy. Kirito and Asuna didn't even need to look at his face, for he had his back turned to them, but they guessed that this guy was Phil.

As they got closer, the goat-man apparantly heard them, but didn't turn to them. Sora was about to speak when he cut in saying, "Hey champ, how ya feeling? Better rest up for tomorrow's match. Nobody's gonna pay to see a worn-out hero...capiche?" This guy definitely acted like a coach, Kirito could see that. "Remember what I told you." he continued, "Victory in the games comes down to two simple words: Eat, bathe, sleep!"

Goofy and Kirito both flicked a finger up for every word he said. While Kirito and Asuna were wondering why he said three words, Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at one another and chuckled in amusement. Phil got angry and turned to them in frustration, but seeing who it was, his face became excited to see such familiar faces.

"Hey, if it ain't the junior heroes!" he said, prancing up to Sora and hugging him slightly. "Lookin' good, Phil." Sora commented. "Never better!" Phil replied as he looked at the trio, "How you guys been? Have you earned your 'true hero' wings yet?" Sora, Donald and Goofy were about to reply, but they stopped themselves. Kirito then remembered one thing that Sora mentioned to him; you mustn't tell people about different worlds unless they already know.

Phil looked at them, scratching his goatee, then guessed, "Nope, you ain't got what it takes." That really ticked them off, but Phil then noticed Kirito and Asuna, particularly Asuna.

"Well, well, hello there, sweet-cheeks." he said, brushing the couple of stairs on his head as he walked up to her, "You lookin' for a nice lookin' trainer of heroes? Cause, uh, I've trained a few in my lifetime." He walked up and looked up and down her figure. Asuna knew what he was planning, and replied, "Yeah, and I could probably beat them all. Besides, your not my type." Phil look like he got kicked in the face from this. "Ouch!" Sora flinched, "Totally shot down." Goofy and Donald stifled their laughter. Kirito even snorted a bit, proud of Asuna's answer.

"Yeesh! Women." Phil moaned, trying to recover from this, "Well, might I ask what you're doing in this Coliseum in the first place?" "We came here with Sora." Kirito explained, drawing Phil's attention, "We wanted to train so we could take on Hades together." Phil looked surprised at what they were planning, and looked at Sora, who nodded in agreement.

Finally, Phil bursted out laughing. "Ha ha ha! You guys are gonna take on Hades?" he asked. "What's so funny?!" squawked Donald. Phil recovered from his laughing fit and looked at them. "You got nerve. I like that." he stated, "Hey, you never know; stranger things have happened, right? Better get cracking, boys! But first..."

Phil turned to the two newcomers as he continued, "I should probably test your friends out. See if they're hero quality." "Test away then." Kirito replied, brandishing his Oblivion as Asuna summoned her Oathkeeper, "I'm Kirito, and this is Asuna. We'll show you we have what it takes." "Fine then," Phil stated, "If you think your such a hotshot, then you're up first. Go take your position in the arena." Kirito nodded, and walked into it, while everyone walked over to the stands.

"Ok, kid, the rules are simple." Phil told him from afar, "Them pots are magically based, so they can produce themselves in the arena every time you knock a bunch down. The small urns are worth one point, the large ones are worth ten. I'm giving you one minute to break as many pots as possible." Kirito nodded, and got into battle position.

"3, 2, 1...Go!" Phil shouted, and Kirito was off. He begun slicing and dicing at the pots left and right. The larger pots were rarer, and took a few more hits to take down, but Kirito wasn't complaining. He hated it if it was too easy. Sora, Asuna and the others were cheering him on, while Phil was observing him. "This kid's got the strength and moves." he commented, seeing Kirito take down four small pots at once, "He could actually be some good hero quality. Funny, he reminds me of someone..."

As Kirito made a heavy swing at a bunch of pots, Phil saw, only for a slow second, a shadow of another figure that he was reminded of. A taller young man with dark brown, spiky hair. He had cross straps across his chest like Kirito, along with an arm-guard, only on his left forearm, sort of similar shoes, and even had dark clothing (aka Terra). Phil rubbed his eyes, and saw Kirito going to work on the pots. He wondered who it was he was seeing there, but then shrugged it off, and realized the minute was up.

"Ok, stop!" he shouted, and Kirito stopped attacking. He walked off the stage and to the others. "So, think that was enough." He asked Phil, who was rubbing his goatee. "Not bad, kid." he replied, "You really got the stuff. Let's see here...I counted the total points to be...93!" "Woah!" Sora, Donald and Goofy gasped. "And all under one minute, too." Asuna added, walking towards the arena, "That's an easy score to beat." "Then prove it." Kirito answered, the two smirking at one another.

Asuna got into position as the others went sat on the stands again. "Ok, same rules apply to you, sugar-cakes." Phil replied, "You ready? 3, 2, 1...Go!" Asuna didn't waste time, and went in the middle of a large gathering of pots, and used Fire spell, burning every pot around her to a crisp. She kept striking and slicing with her Keyblade, but she also used magic when the moments were right, unlike Kirito who was basically powering his way through.

"Now this is my kind of gal." Phil acknowledged, seeing her graceful techniques, "Looks, speed and skills. She's got the entire passage." Then, as Asuna jumped and performed a sword spin, another shadow appeared of another person that Asuna reminded him of. A slightly older woman with short blue hair. She, like Asuna, wore cross straps across her chest, along with a heart-like emblem. She also had blue clothes around her waist, black shorts, and even similar shoes, only black instead of red (aka Aqua).

Again, Phil blinked, and the shadow faded, now only seeing Asuna, but couldn't for the life of him remember who it was that she reminded him of. Finally, he noticed the minute was up, and told her to stop. Asuna walked over to them, and waited for her results.

"Let's see here..." Phil thought out loud, "I was counting the amount, and it comes up to...93!" "Seriously?!" Kirito exclaimed. "So it's a tie." Asuna sighed. "You guys were amazing out there!" Sora cheered, looking at the both of them. "The kid's right." Phil stated, "You both got what it takes to become true heroes, but you're not quite there yet." Kirito and Asuna both looked confused at this as Phil continued, "However, I do believe you have what it takes. Come back when the games come up again, and prove yourselves champs!" "Thanks, Phil." the two replied.

Sora now looked absolutely pumped. "All right!" she shouted, "Phil, set me up for some training. After watching, I'm eager to start!" "That's the spirit, kid." Phil replied, turning to him. "Ok, then. Time for your training, and remember; when it comes to battles, I got two words for you: never give up!" "Got it." Sora replied as Kirito counted the words once more. He looked at Asuna, who giggled in response.

**Chapter 5: Saving Meg in the Underworld**

Sora was in the main arena, taking down pots like crazy, showing how hard of a fighter he could be. Meanwhile, Kirito and Goofy were sparring off on one end, whiles Asuna and Donald were fighting on the other. The two Keyblade wielders were going easy on them, though they slowly and surely had to increase their strength as they progressed on. It was showing just how much the team was improving in time.

After a half hour of this, the Donald and Goofy were talking to Phil while Sora, Kirito and Asuna were talking with one another. Suddenly, they heard someone coming, and turned to see Hercules come out into the arena. Everyone, including Phil, gathered around him, and saw that he wasn't excited about something. In fact, something was troubling him.

"Listen, I gotta take off for a bit." Phil told Hercules. "Where to?" Sora asked. "None of your beeswax." he replied, turning to him. Phil then walked away, out of the Coliseum.

Herc turned to the five of them as he said, in a sad tone, "Sorry, guys. The Olympus Stone has been stolen." "What?!" Asuna, Sora and Donald shouted. "By who?" Kirito and Goofy asked. "We don't know who did it yet." Hercules replied, "All we're sure of is that it was a guy in a black-hooded cloak. And he had accomplices; a bunch of creatures in white."

Sora and the others looked at one another, and nodded, realizing who they were dealing with. "Someone you know?" Hercules asked them. "I think so." Sora responded. "Hey, if we can get the Olympus Stone back, can we borrow it for a while?" Kirito asked. "Sure." Herc responded, "By the way, you haven't seen Meg around, have you?" The five of them shook there heads. "Oh, okay..." sighed Hercules, looking somewhat worried.

"What's wrong, your hero-ness? Feeling under the weather?" said a familiar voice. A hand touched Herc's shoulder, and he turned to see Hades right behind them. He whipped around, ready to fight. "You know I thought staying in perfect shape was part of the hero job description," Hades stated, "you know what I'm saying?"

"Oh, right." Sora realized, marching up to the bad guy, "Hades, we gotta talk!" Hades rolled his eyes, and with one flick, knocked Sora backwards. "I came to share a bit of mildly-interesting news." Hades continued as Hercules came in closer, raising a fist, "Seems your dear, sweet little Nutmeg..." he vanished in black smoke and appeared behind Herc again as he continued, "...went and got herself lost in the Underworld." "You mean you kidnapped her!" accused Hercules. "Well, maybe." Hades replied amusingly, "But why get caught up in the details?"

Hercules placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled. Up in the sky, the group looked up and saw, to Kirito and Asuna's astonishment, a white horse with wings and blue hair on its' head, tail and wingtips. "Pegasus!" Asuna gasped, realizing what the horse was. It flew down right next to Herc, who was about to mount him.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Hades stopped him, "You can't leave now, ok?" "You've got a very important match today, against, um...the bloodthirsty Hydra! I mean, if you don't stick around, who knows what kind of 'accidents' might happen." "Yeah, accidents you cause." Sora accused him. "Like I said: details, who needs 'em?" Hades quickly replied.

"You're just a coward." Herc told him as he and Pegasus looked angrily at him. "You never seem to fight fair, do you?" Kirito asked as he and Asuna produced Keyblades. "Ah well. Can't all be heroes." Hades responded as he disappeared in a puff of black smoke, and didn't appear anywhere near them

Hercules folded his arms, thinking of what he should do. Sora, Kirito and Asuna walked up to him, causing him to look at them. "Can you handle this?" Herc asked them. "You got it! We're heroes!" Donald proudly stated. "Junior heroes, Donald." Goofy corrected him. "You take care of the Hydra." Sora told him, "We'll handle the rest." "We'll have Meg back before you know it." Asuna winked at him. "I'm counting on you." Herc told them, patting their shoulders.

Pegasus walked up to Hercules, who straightened up and patted him. "You gotta find Meg." he told the horse, who nodded in response and took off, flying out of the Coliseum. Kirito looked and saw Herc rubbing his head, deeply worried. "Don't think about it right now." He told him, patting his shoulder, "We'll carry on your troubles." Herc looked at Kirito, smiled and nodded. The five of them took off out of the Coliseum, and through the gates to the Underworld.

When they arrived at the bottom of the stairs, they noticed one thing out of place; Phil was lying on the ground. He looked like he endured an attack by something or someone. "Phil!" Sora shouted, leading the group over to him. Phil moaned when he heard them, and he was getting himself up. "What happened?" Asuna asked him. "I spotted this strange guy all dressed in black." Phil explained, rubbing his head, "I chased after him, but he turned on me. Next thing I know, I'm seeing stars."

"All dressed in black?!" Donald repeated. "Do you think...?" Asuna asked Kirito, who nodded in response. "He's the one who stole the Olympus Stone." Sora stated. "Where did he run off to?" Goofy asked. "To the Underworld." Phil answered, looking at the other set of doors Sora and the others couldn't get to before, but now the pathway was open.

"He's a bad apple, all right." Phil noted, "And all I wanted was to find a backup hero. Just in case Herc needed to take a break." "Heroes, eh?" Sora repeated as he grinned, "You could've just asked!" "You know someone?!" Phil asked, turning to them. Sora, Kirito and the gang all pulled out their weapons, displaying who he was talking about. "Oh, good one..." Phil moaned. "Got any brighter ideas, pal?" Asuna asked sternly. Phil sighed and shook his head. "Don't worry, we'll find that man in black along with saving Meg." Kirito assured him, and the five of them took off to the set of doors.

As soon as they entered, they saw the floor covered with a dense mist. "Come on, guys." Sora said, rushing in. "Hold on, Sora." Kirito cried out, "You never know if that floor is..." But suddenly, Sora took one step, and fell into the mist, and the group could hear him hit the floor below." "...straight and level." Kirito ended.

He slowly and carefully started to slide his feet across the floor, finally finding a slope on the side of the room that head down. He led the group to Sora, who was laying face first into the floor. "You ok?" Asuna asked him. "Yeah, I think so." Sora answered, lifting himself back to his feet. The group looked around. Seemed a bit misty, but not as much as it was on top. "Let's be careful now." Kirito told Sora, who rubbed his head in embarrassment. Kirito led the group through the mist, making sure to keep an eye out for Meg or the Organization member.

**Chapter 6: Demyx, the Water Guitarist**

They journeyed deeper into the cave, underneath the mist. They found several Heartless getting in their path, including ones that scared Asuna; ghost-type Heartless called Trick Ghosts. Being afraid of phantoms, Asuna simply ran away from these, terrified while the boys took care of them. She made up by furiously taking down all the other types of Heartless.

However, the curse of the Underworld was still upon them, and they were still unable to fight at their full potential. They had to stop so they could heal up again. "Man..." Sora groaned as he loosened his shoulders, "This Underworld curse is really getting to me." "It's getting to all of us, Sora." Kirito told him as he stretched his arms out. "We've got to get that Olympus Stone back fast!" Goofy stated, and the others nodded in agreement.

The caves were an absolute maze, and the Heartless were no better, either. But still, there were some decent item drops from the enemies, and they managed to find their way around it, finally finding a pathway out from underneath the mist. They leapt up above the mist, and found themselves walking towards a room, where they noticed the man in a black cloak standing there.

The five of them walked towards him, and the guy turned to them. "Ah! You!" he said in a surprising manner, pointing to Sora. He lifted his hood to reveal his face. This was the first time they actually saw an Organization member remove his hood, and Kirito, expecting something else, only noticed a young man's face with a blond, mullet-like style haircut, with a few bangs that hanged all over his face.

He examined Sora closely. "Wait a sec..." he muttered as he look, "...Roxas?" "Excuse me?" Sora asked confusingly. "Roxas?" he repeated, hoping for a result, "Oh, it's no use." "Huh? What are you talking about?" Sora asked him, then turning to Kirito or Asuna to see if they knew, but they shook their heads.

"Let's see, here..." the man muttered as he pulled out a notepad and read, "If the subject fails to respond, use aggression to liberate true disposition. Right." He put away the notepad as he moaned, "Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one..." "You're bizarre..." Sora stated. "Meh, I've seen weirder," Kirito told him, thinking to some people he knew in SAO.

The man then pulled from his other pocket a gold medallion with a lightning bolt on it. "Is that the Olympus Stone?" Asuna asked. "He's gotta be the thief!" Goofy accused him. "Now that's just plain rude!" the man retorted. He lifted the stone up above him, and a light shined all around him.

"Mind telling us who you are in the first place?" Kirito asked as he along with everyone else brandished their weapons. "Just call me Demyx." He replied, and with one hand raised, water suddenly gushed all around him, and with it appeared an object that looked like a sitar. "How's he gonna fight with that?" Donald asked. "We're about to find out." Asuna replied, seeing Demyx start playing the instrument.

"Dance, water! Dance!" he shouted, and suddenly multiple versions of himself suddenly appeared everywhere, only they were made out of water. "What the?!" exclaimed Sora, looking at all the water copies as they cornered them. "Better hurry." Demyx warned them, "Once their time is up, it's game over for you!" The group understood what he meant by a game over, only they didn't know how it was gonna happen. "They're just water replicas." Kirito told them, "They are like the pots; we can take them down easily." Everyone nodded and the crew dispersed.

While the water replicas were extremely easy to destroy, they were able to fight back. It seemed that the guy was able to control the replicas with his sitar, and he was able to produce a lot of them. Kirito was gonna strike him, but he was protected by a barrier while he was playing.

Sora thought up of a way of dealing with them by grabbing one and swinging it around him wildly. It seemed to do the trick, cause once he released it, it spun around like a tornado, drawing the replica's near it and destroying them. Asuna, on the other hand, was using her Fire attacks when surrounded by them, and apparently the water replicas just turned into steam from touching her flames. The battle was over in about fourty seconds.

"Not bad, Roxas!" Demyx complimented Sora, and stopped playing his sitar. Kirito saw this chance, and rushed passed him as he aimed a strike on Demyx's shoulder, injuring him. "Hey! That's a low blow, dude!" Demyx shouted, grasping his shoulder in pain. "Big deal." Kirito responded, turning to him, "I have been known as a Beater."

Demyx looked at Kirito, who's face was calm and poised. Finally stumbling under the pain, Demyx looked back at the other four. "Roxas, come back to us!" he moaned, and he disappeared in a black portal. The gang lowered their weapons and looked at the spot he vanished at.

"Guy's a broken record!" Sora exclaimed. "Yeah, unless this 'Roxas' guy looks exactly like you, and it was just mistaken identity." Asuna suggested. "Yui, have any idea who Roxas is?" Kirito asked as he walked to the others. "The name is familiar," she answered, floating onto his shoulder, "but the problem is that the info gathered on Roxas on DiZ's computer had been deleted, so I was not able to get any info on him." "I see," Kirito sighed as he joined the others.

"Hey, look!" Donald pointed out, waddling to the spot Demyx disappeared to, and picked up the Olympus Stone. He came back to the others, and handed it to Sora. Sora looked at it for a second as the gang got into a circle, then he raised it up high. Suddenly, light shined from the stone, enveloping each of them. The curse had been lifted from their bodies.

Sora flexed his fingers, feeling the strength coming back to him. "Finally, we're back to normal." Kirito sighed, bending from side to side as he got his strength back. Asuna pulled her Keyblade out and swung it, feeling the power of her attacks like normal. The group then looked at the cave entrance in front of them. "Let's go!" Sora proclaimed, "Meg needs our help!" "Right!" Kirito and Asuna agreed, and the group took off further into the cave.

Finally, they arrived at the end of the cavern, where they saw a massive rock in front of them, with a carving of Meg on it, surrounded by a rainbow aura, and a small keyhole. A black aura seem to spiral down in a column to the rock. The rock was apparently some sort of lock to whatever was in that light.

Sora lifted his Keyblade, and the tip of it shined onto the keyhole. It unlocked, and the rock started to shine brightly. Next thing you know, the light vanished, and so did the rock. The dark spiraling column became a bright green column of light that shined brightly up to the ceiling. "Meg!" Donald cried. "Almost there." Sora assured him, and he led the group into the column of light.

It was as if they were in the ships teleportation device again, only this time, when they appeared again, they found themselves coming into a large room, the walls staggered as it went up. They raised their weapons, ready to face whoever was in there. But they saw Meg, her upper body tied up by some black smoke, with Hades right next to her. She looked happy to see them, and so was Hades apparently.

He chuckled ever so maliciously at them. "Now that's what I call a key." he stated, staring at Sora, Kirito and Asuna. He then clapped his hands together as he continued, "Gee, thanks for your help! Now have a nice day." And he vanished in a puff of black smoke.

Meg stood there, looking at the spot where Hades left, then she looked at the people who came to save her and shouted, "Guys! Behind you!" The group heard a boastful laugh, and they turned to see Pete standing there, surrounded by a bunch of Hook Bats. They backed away from him, surrounding Meg.

"What's wrong?" he asked amusingly, "Can't fight in the Underworld? Boo-hoo-hoo!" "Better think again." Sora stated as he and the others raised their weapons. He looked at all the Heartless he brought, and shouted, "Charge!" Another battle was about to begin.

**Chapter 7: Battle in the Collapsing Room**

The Hook Bats were charging at the lot of them. Kirito didn't waste any time now that he gained the Olympus Stone's power, and went into Valor Form along with Sora. "Donald! Goofy! Asuna!" Kirito shouted, "You guys protect Meg. We'll deal with Pete!" "We'll deliver some magic to your battle from back here, too." Asuna added, raising her Keyblade and stabbing a Heartless. They nodded, and the two charged in.

With their Valor Forms, slicing down Heartless and taking on Pete were much easier. Pete, though, was no pushover, and was a tough person to battle against. He had strong punches, and was able to jump a lot higher than he looked, and use his weight to create shockwaves on the ground. He also carried a bunch of bowling balls with him, which rolled across the floor, and exploded in the end! And if it was not bad enough, he also was able to conjure up an shielding orb that protect him from all of Kirito and Sora's attacks, and even heal him a bit, though it lasted for about a few seconds.

Although it took so long to fight Pete, that Kirito and Sora's Valor forms vanished, they still did some decent job on him. Finally, they backed up right in front of Meg, along with everybody else, who were dealing with the dozens of Heartless that kept coming at them. The Heartless gathered up around Pete, ready to fight some more.

"There's too many!" Sora shouted. "The more we defeat, the more they come!" Asuna exclaimed. "Let's go!" Donald declared. Kirito swung his Oblivion at Meg's restraints, releasing her arms.

Pete was ready for round 2 when he heard a grunt from behind, followed by bat cries. He turned around and had a couple of Hook Bats fall into him, causing him to collapse. Herc was here, and he rushed over to the gang, who were pleased to see him.

"Sorry I'm late." he told Meg. He then placed a couple of fingers in his mouth and whistled. Pete had just got up when Pegasus flew over and trampled his head, causing him to get dizzy and topple forward face first. Pegasus landed right next to the crew. "Get Meg outta here." he told the five of them as he lifted Meg onto Pegasus, "I'll meet you back at the Coliseum."

"What about you?" Sora asked him. "I'm gonna show these guys what happens when they mess with a true hero." He answered boastfully. Sora, Kirito and Asuna nodded. Hercules smacked Pegasus from behind, and he took off with Meg on board, the other running to the exit. Pete was on the floor when he saw them rush past, and he got up quickly. "Now wait a sec!" he cried, trying to catch up with them. Hercules got in his way, surprising Pete. He looked seriously at Pete and the Heartless, ready to take them on.

Meanwhile, Sora and the others got out of the light and back into the cave again. Meg and Pegasus flew out and landed right next to them. "Sora, Kirito, Asuna...I won't leave him." Meg told them. "He'll be okay." Sora assured him. "Look, even Herc has his limits." Meg explained, "He can't keep winning forever." "Then we'll go back him up." Asuna stated. "You just make sure Hades doesn't capture you again." Kirito told her.

Pegasus looked down to Donald, who ordered, "Get Meg outta here!" The horse nodded, and he took off with Meg, flying off into the darkened caves. Sora and Kirito turned to the column of light again. "Let's go." Kirito said calmly. "Right." Sora nodded, and the five dove in once more.

Up in the room, Pete was still fighting with Hercules, and there were still some Hook Bats and Trick Ghosts ready for more. Herc was looking tired from the continuous fighting, and Pete could see that. He was about to order his minions to attack once more when he noticed Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald and Goofy come out of the column of light and dashed right next to Hercules, ready for another battle.

They were noticing the walls around them were starting to crumble at bit. They needed to take care of Pete quick. Sora, Kirito and Hercules focused on him while Asuna led Donald and Goofy into fighting the Heartless.

Pete's battle strategy were pretty much the same, though adding Hercules to the fight proved things difficult for the big palooka. Even though he was able to conjure up a shield, Sora and Kirito were basically sending him rolling over to Hercules like a pinball, where he broke the shield in one punch! Pete was also trying something out; sending large boulders over to Sora and Kirito, but with Herc's help, they created their own barrier against the attacks. Combined with Pete's slow wit, the battle was pretty much easy for the group.

Afterwards, Pete got up and rubbed his nose. "Hmph! This place gives me the creeps." He stated, "I'll deal with you nitwits next time!" And with that, Pete ran off into the column of light, and disappeared.

Suddenly, the walls were shaking more violently around them. Sora waved the others to the exit, who didn't twice about leaving the place. They dove out of the light on the other end, and raced themselves as fast as they could out of the caves.

Up in the collapsing room, Hades stood there, looking all around him. "Could today possibly get any better?" He asked excitedly, "This time Wonder-breath is going down for good." He stared up at the ceilings as they started to fall down.

Meanwhile, the six heroes were rushing out of the caves and back into the Underworld Entrance, where they stopped to catch their breath. "Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite hero washout." said a mischievous voice, "You really blew it this time." The group turned to see Hades walk up to them.

"No one likes a sore loser, Hades." Sora quoted. "Why don't you just go back to your chamber, and think about what you did for a while." Kirito mocked him. "Can it, Keyboys!" he spat at them. "Then let me." Herc said to him, and he walked up to Hades and repeated, "No one likes a sore loser, Hades. Why don't you just go back to your chamber, and think about what you did for a while." The other five looked at one another, and chuckled a bit at this humorous moment.

"Yeah, yeah, Styx and stones." Hades answered, walking away from the crew, "Hey, maybe you should go check on that Hydra you neglected to finish off. I hear things are really falling apart up there, champ." He disappeared in a puff of smoke again. "Wait!" Sora shouted. "Hate to run, but I've got another little diversion to attend to." Hades' voice emanated.

Hercules rushed off to the Coliseum, the others watching him go. "Let's go after him!" Asuna declared, and Sora and Kirito nodded. They made sure they were prepared for battle before they took off, racing up the shining stairs to the Coliseum.

**Chapter 8: The Multi-Headed Hydra**

When they got up, they saw Hercules falling to his knees, staring at the Coliseum, or what was the Coliseum. It was now a pile of rubble, and the Hydra stood in the middle of the mess, roaring menacingly. Sora and Asuna nearly dodged a piece of rubble each, and the five heroes looked up at the monster before them.

Phil, Meg and Pegasus rushed to Herc's side. Phil shook him violently until he turned to his coach. "Champ!" he gasped, feeling relieved, "You're safe!" "I failed..." Herc moaned. "It's not your fault." Meg told him. "I left everyone unprotected." Herc stated, slamming his fists into the ground, "Hades was right. I'm just a...a washout."

"Aw, come on champ!" Phil scolded him, "I didn't train you to think like that." "Wonderboy..." Meg muttered. "Phil's right." Sora stated, he, Kirito and Asuna rushing to the sad hero's side, "This is no time to beat yourself up." "Who was the hero that told us to never give, huh?" Kirito asked him seriously, while Yui popped out of his pocket and nodded in agreement. "Come on, Hercules." Asuna pleaded to him.

This wasn't helping him. "I'm some hero..." he moaned, shaking his head in despair. He looked up at the Hydra before him, and his skin started to gray up a bit. Kirito looked at him, then looked up at the Hydra as it stomped towards them. He then got to his feet, and produced his Keyblade.

"Sora, we can take care of this." he stated, "Herc's no help in this state, so somebody get him out of here." Meg did so, carrying Herc to one side as the Hydra crawled over the wall to them. "Herc needs help!" Donald squawked. "Then let's clean up the mess he left, okay boys?!" Asuna stated. "Yeah." Sora answered.

Suddenly, Phil came to their side, looking like he was about to do some kung-fu fighting. "Don't suppose you got room for one more?" he asked them. Pegasus and Meg joined him, and Pegasus even got on his hind legs and mimicked Phil. "We're in." Meg stated. "In that case, go on the side lines, and give us support from there." Kirito asked, knowing they weren't trained fighters. They did so, and the five were ready to face the Hydra.

He head was so high up, that the only way to actually hit him was by using magic. They sent Blizzard attacks up at it, while Donald did Thunder attacks, all the time avoiding the Hydra's swishing tail and thunder attacks (How the F0#! is it able to do that?!). It lowered its head to them, and that was the opportunity to strike it hard with their weapons. It took some serious damage, and it looked stunned.

"Time to vanquish it!" Sora shouted, and with a tremendous leap, he sliced the Hydra's head clean off, and sending its' head flying. It looked like victory was in their grasp when its' headless neck fell to the ground, but suddenly three more Hydra heads were produced from the ground, surrounding them. "How in the..?!" gasped Asuna. "Don't know, don't care!" Kirito replied, taking a leap at the right Hydra's high head and started to attack. All that work with the Valor form gave him better jumps in his normal form.

"Hey, Sora!" Phil shouted, standing on top of the crumbled walls. Sora heard him and looked up. "Jump onto the Hydra's back!" he shouted to him, and Sora followed through. Then Phil produced a large pot from beneath him, and tossed it into the air. Sora made a leap for it, and smacked it down onto the Hydra's back. This caused the three heads to fall over in pain, which concluded one thing; the heads were connected to that body.

Kirito made quick work with the Hydra head he was dealing with, and sliced it off. Asuna was dealing with the Hydra head on the other side, and sliced it off, too. Sora, Donald and Goofy all took care of the middle head, and Sora finished the job.

It was only then that Asuna remembered something. "I just realized." she gasped, staring at the body, "In Greek mythology, it said that if the Hydra's head would be cut off..." Suddenly, the body started to move again, and out popped nine heads! "...three more will replace the one that was lost." she ended, frightened by the monster before her. "YOU COULD HAVE TOLD US THAT SOONER!" the other four shouted, turning to the multi-headed beast before them.

No sooner did they yell than the Hydra made his move, slamming their heads onto the ground like hammers, causing damage to the lot of them. Kirito switched into his Valor form and he leapt up at the monster's heads, and striking at them in fury. However, he could only his some of the heads, but the others came flying in, knocking Kirito to one side of the wall, right next to Meg. He definitely took a heavy hit, but Meg found some healing items, and regenerated him again.

Not only was the Hydra using his tail, his heads and thunder attacks, he was also sending Possessor Heartless at them. This was the most difficult battle they had to face yet, and they were only starting on their adventure. However, when the Hydra lowered its' head, they always took their chance and dished out attacks at the heads.

Asuna then looked up and saw Pegasus flying in the sky, and had a crazy idea. She whistled to Pegasus, and he dove down to pick her up. She got up onto his back, and the two were being eyed by all the Hydra's heads. Pegasus then started to fly around to all of the Hydra's heads, and Asuna, with great accuracy, struck everyone of them. Not only were their attacks swift, but with Pegasus' speed and Asuna's strength, they were also damaging. "Nice move out there, Asuna!" Sora cheered as she landed on the ground next to him. "Well, I try." she replied amusingly.

Just then, Donald and Goofy were tossed aside, and slammed into the walls behind them. Kirito came leaping back to meet Sora and Asuna. "It's no good!" he shouted, "Unless we can stop it here and now, I don't know how much more we can take." "I agree." Sora responded, "So let's combine our attacks together, and see what happens." "Worth a shot!" Asuna added. The trio at the Hydra before them, then at each other, and nodded.

The trio concentrated, putting their Keyblades together. The three blades started to shine brightly, feeling the connection of the three friends. Then they sparkled brightly, and Sora, Kirito and Asuna curled their Keyblades behind their backs, then flung them like boomerangs at the Hydra. They were using a triple Strike Raid, only their powers were increased several times more than the average Strike Raid. The triple ensemble was not only powerful, it struck all of the the heads, causing each one to stun as it was hit.

The three Keyblade wielders called back their Keyblades into their hands, and they charged forward, Sora in front, and Kirito and Asuna on each side of him. The trio simultaniously leapt up, and with one piercing slash, they sliced through all of the Hydra's heads.

They leapt back together, and watched the beast's headless body writhe in the air before falling to the ground, unable to produce anymore heads. One of the Hydra's heads fell to the ground right next to it, its' tongue lagging out, lifeless. The trio looked at one another, and smiled with glee. They defeated it at last. They high-fived one another, and Yui even came out of Kirito's pocket and started to spin around them excitedly.

Suddenly, out of the Hydra's body, three Magic Orbs appeared and floated to them. "Those orbs contain the thunder element." Yui explained, "You can now use the Thunder Spell." "Finally," Kirito said exasperatedly as he and the others touched the orbs and they dove inside them, "I was wondering if I could get that attack. I keep seeing Donald using it, but I wanted to try the attack too." Asuna nodded in agreement, then realized that Donald and Goofy took heavy hits from the Hydra.

The trio rushed to each of them as they slowly got up. "You guys ok?" Sora asked, worried about them. "Oh, my beak!" moaned Donald, grabbing his bill. "Is it morning yet?" Goofy asked dazedly. Sora, Kirito, Asuna and Yui all looked at one another, and bursted out laughing. That was just like their friends.

**Chapter 9: A Heroic Parting**

Everyone in the battle gathered around Hercules, who was sitting at the steps of the crumbled Coliseum. He looked like he didn't have any strength within him any more, and he looked lost in despair.

"I let you down." He said mournfully, "I'm just...no use." "It's not your fault." reassured Meg, who sat right next to him, "Hey, even a god would be exhausted." "She's right." Sora agreed, "Give yourself a chance to rest." "You gotta realize that mourning about what you couldn't do to save others is not the answer to solving this." Kirito told him, "Believe me...I know." He reminisced back in the early days of being trapped in the game. He saw the members of the Moonlit Black Cats guild being killed one after another, and he was the one who brought them to such a tragic end. Asuna looked at him, knowing what was going through his mind because she knew the story. It was the main reason why he went solo for so long.

"There won't be any games for a while, anyway." Goofy assured him, his optimism breaking the moment. Meg got up, brushed her dress, and smiled at them as she said, "Don't worry about Wonderboy here. I'll look after him. Sora, Kirito, Donald, Asuna, Goofy, I owe you big time."

"Hey, it's no big deal." Sora assured her. "Just let us know if Hades or the Heartless start acting up." "We'll take care of it." Asuna finished, the others nodded in agreement. Kirito shook off the memories of the past, smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, that's what heroes are for!" Donald proclaimed. "When did you five make hero?" Meg asked them sarcastically. "Let's save that for another time..." Sora answered carefully, "We have to hit the road." "Okay." she responded, "Don't be strangers."

"Gawrsh, I hope ya feel better soon, Hercules." Goofy said sympathetically. "You and me both, Goofy." Kirito added, though one thing that made him say that was because he wanted to prove his strength to Hercules. "Yeah..." Herc sighed.

Asuna and Donald turned to Phil, who didn't say anything. "You have no parting words for us?" she asked the goat man. "Oh, well, take care you guys and gal!" he responded hastily, "Stay a little longer next time. Especially you, sweet-cheeks. We got some serious training to catch up on." Asuna rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Sora turned to all of his friends. "Well, time to go." he stated, then he remembered, "Oh, I almost forgot. The Olympus Stone." He pulled out the stone from one of his bags and held it to Hercules, who got up and stumbled to him. Just as he reached for the stone, it started to shine brightly and float. Sora looked back at Kirito and Asuna, who nodded in realizing what this meant.

They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the floating stone glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the stone suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

"Another gate has opened!" Goofy proclaimed. "We're one step closer to succeeding in our goals!" Asuna cheered. The other four, who had no idea what just happened, merely believed it to be a good thing.

Suddenly, something fell out of the sky and into Sora's hands. It was another Keyblade keychain, one with green links and a mini version of the Olympus Stone on the end. "That's will give you the 'Hero's Crest'!" Yui explained to him. "Take it Sora." Kirito told him, "You deserve it." Sora gleefully smiled, and he replaced his Kingdom Key for it. It transformed into a Keyblade that had similarities to the Greek architecture, its' teeth was that of a star.

"Not a bad look." Asuna stated as Sora placed the Kingdom Key keychain into his pocket. He put his new Keyblade away, and he looked at Goofy, who signaled the Gummi Ship to pick them up.

"I wonder where we'll go next." Sora asked. "I hope it's somewhere a little more normal than this or the other two worlds." Asuna hoped. "Doubt that will happen." Kirito answered. The two of them looked at each other, and giggled slightly. They were getting kind of use to this world traveling. The light shined from the Gummi ship onto them, and they teleported up to it, unable to realize what was about to happen.

**Whew! That was a killer chapter to write. So much fighting to describe, and not to mention I had a bit of writer's block in the middle of writing this, but a cup of coffee does it every time. Was it jam packed with combat or what?! I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Next Time: We journey to Disney Castle, where it is under attack. Not to mention Timeless River, and I wonder how I'll shape Kirito and Asuna in a cartoon form. Boy that will be an interesting story. Anyways, leave a comment when you have one, and be patient for my next update!**

**(P.S. For those who keep asking me, I am not skipping Cloud! I'm following the storyline, or rather walkthrough of KHII. He will make an appearance, and I hope to make a good connection with him and Kirito.)**


	10. Ep 8: Disney Castle! Tackle the Past!

**Prologue**

Back in Hollow Bastion. Maleficent was looking out onto the balcony, Pete standing behind her. "And where is everyone else?" She asked him. "Beats me." Pete answered, "They musta had some other matters to deal with." "Matters?" Maleficent echoed, turning her head to Pete, "You mean they have more important affairs to attend to than my return?"

"Well, see, there's this Organization XIII that keeps gettin' in the way-" Pete started to explain. "Let those fools play their little game!" Maleficent cut him off, turning away from him once more. "But what about that runt with the Keyblade?" Pete asked. "He's been a real pain, too." "Oh, has he?" Maleficent questioned him.

She turned her entire body to Pete. "Very well then." she stated, "I suppose you'd best tell me what's happened during my absence."

In Disney Castle, the walking brooms were done cleaning the library as Minnie Mouse was looking up at the bookshelves. "Oh...hmm." she hummed, "Now I wonder where that old album could be?" "Queen Minnie!" shouted a small voice. "It's horrible!" cried another voice. She turned to see Chip and Dale rushing into the room to meet her.

They dashed up to her, and saluted. "Somethin's wrong in the Hall of the Cornerstone!" Chip cried. "There's real sharp thorns everywhere!" Dale explained. The two chipmunks led Queen Minnie out of the library, through the throne room, and into the Hall of the Cornerstone.

They were right. The room was completely black, the only thing shining was the massive orb filled with light in the middle of the room. There were sharp thorns covering the walls and ceiling.

Minnie gasped in horror and looked at the catastrophe that has plaque the room. She looked worried, and folded her hands together. "Oh, King Mickey," she said, "I wish you could hear me. The castle is in danger! We've got to do something soon!" She closed her eyes as she muttered, "Donald...Goofy...Where are you?"

_(Cue Opening Theme)_

**Chapter 1: Distress at Disney Castle**

The gang had just left Hercules' world, and were just flying dazedly in space. "So where to next?" Sora asked. "Let me see." Yui answered, typing away at the panel in front of her. She looked up at the monitor to see all of the available worlds.

"Looks like there's a new one on here." She said, tapping the keyboard to zoom in on the undiscovered world." It was world with a large white castle on it, with blue rooftops. Both Donald and Goofy gasped. "That's Disney Castle!" they cried in unison. "Wait, isn't that the place where King Mickey lives, and where you guys protect?" Kirito recalled. The two guys nodded.

"If it's appeared now, then maybe we should go take a look." Asuna suggested. "Then it's settled." Sora concluded, "Yui, set coordinates to Disney Castle." "You got it!" She replied, typing away at the keyboard, and setting the Gummi ship into hyper space to the coordinates.

"It should take a couple hours to get there." She told the crew, "No special gates to get through this time." Just then, Sora's stomach let out a big growl. "Guess I'm a little hungry." he stated, rubbing his belly. "Is there a kitchen on this ship?" Asuna asked them. "I think so," Sora answered, "But we don't use it much." "There should be some fresh produce there anyway." Goofy stated, "They're all well preserved." "In that case," Asuna stated as she stood up, "I think it's about time I do some cooking here." She left the bridge and went to the back.

"Finally!" Kirito said excitedly as Yui came to him, "It's been a while since we've had some of Asuna's food. I really miss the stuff." "Is she good at cooking?" Sora asked. "She's a master rank on SAO." Yui replied, and Sora, Donald and Goofy looked excited at this.

When Asuna came out, she had some sandwiches made for them, and they were absolutely delicious. Sora, Donald and Goofy gobbled their sandwiches down quickly, Yui took bites off of Kirito's sandwich, and Asuna slowly enjoyed hers.

They just finished their meal when they arrived at Disney Castle. "Should I set the coordinates to teleport us in?" Yui asked. "Nope, we can just fly in." Goofy answered, and he guided the ship into one of the entrances to the interior of the world. Sora had just told them that he had never been to Disney Castle before, so this was a new experience for the three Keyblade wielder.

They docked the Gummi Ship, and they stepped out, Donald and Goofy were the first ones out. Sora, Kirito and Asuna all looked around. The interior showed that the place was run by gears. There were pipes that led every which-way around the room to the floors next and above them. There were even hands that looked like they moved people to different parts of the docking bay. There were stairs that led to the castle above.

"So this is your castle." Sora stated, looking around the interior. "Correction; this is underneath the castle." Kirito pointed out, "Still, it must be nice to be home, huh?" Kirito then thought of his friends and family again, and started to worry about them.

"What's wrong, you guys?" Asuna asked, seeing the concern looks on Donald and Goofy's faces. "Ya know, somethin' just don't feel quite right..." Goofy thought out loud. "Yeah." Donald agreed, narrowing his eyes as he looked around.

Just then, the group heard squeaky panting from above. They turned to the top of the stairs and saw both Chip and Dale run to the top of the stair banister, and look down to the group. Since it was the first time meeting the two in person, Kirito and Asuna were glad to see that they were the appropriate size of chipmunks.

They slid down the banisters to them. "Your back!" Chip squeaked as they rushed up to the group. "Move it! Let's go!" Dale told them, jumping like crazy. "Queen Minnie needs to see you!" Chip explained. "The castle's in danger!" Dale cried, "Hurry! To the Library!" Everyone nodded in agreement, and they rushed up the stairs and to the floor above.

When they reached the top, they opened a couple green door, and found themselves in a middle of a hedge garden, filled with bush statues, flowers and greenery. This was in the middle of the castle, which was big and majestic. The garden was surrounded by the castle walls, and there were stairs that led into the hallways of the castle.

They hadn't made two steps outside when suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by Heartless. There were Shadows everywhere, along with Soldiers and strange new Heartless.

"What's going on?!" Donald squawked as he and the others pulled out their weapons. "There's Heartless in the castle!" Goofy stated. "And there a lot of them!" Asuna examined. "Great. The more the merrier!" Kirito said sarcastically. "Divide and conquer, everyone!" Sora shouted, and the group split up. Kirito led Donald and Goofy to one side of the garden, while Sora and Asuna went to another.

Asuna and Sora tried out their new Thunder magic, and it proved to be extra helpful against the Heartless that swarmed them. Sora also tried out his new Keyblade, Hero's Crest, and it too proved to be an absolute heavy hitter.

"Think maybe I should switch it for my Star Seeker." He said as he struck a few Heartless down, "This Keyblade would be better in my Valor Form." "True!" Asuna shouted through the storm of Thunder attacks she conjured, "Though I don't think nows the time to do so."

Meanwhile, Donald, Goofy and Kirito were blown back by a huge explosion. One of the new Heartless exploded in front of them, and several more were coming their way. "Mind telling us what these things are, Yui?" Kirito asked as the trio got up. "They're Minute Bombs." she answered, "Despite their name, these things take about ten seconds before they explode. You have to knock them out, quick!" "Or freeze them in there tracks!" Kirito suggested, turning to Donald, and the two nodded.

They then started to use Blizzard attacks one after another, freezing the Heartless in their place. Then Goofy threw his shield at them, and the ice shattered with the Heartless. "Now that's what I call teamwork!" Kirito exclaimed as Donald and Goofy cheered. This was just something he wasn't use to, but it works.

While the teams attacks were strong, the Heartless just kept coming. Whatever or whoever was bringing the Heartless here, they certainly didn't pack light. The team gathered back to back with each other, seeing more Heartless appear around them.

"There's just no end to them!" Asuna exclaimed. "Then let's just make a straight path to the library!" Kirito suggested strongly. "Good idea!" Sora agreed, "Donald! Goofy! Lead us!"

The two who were addressed led the group through the Heartless through a set of doors in the corner of the garden, up a flight of stairs, and straight along a hallway. "It's that door over there!" Donald squawked, pointing to the door at the end of the hall. "Queen Minnie must be in there. Hurry!" Goofy shouted.

Sora, Kirito and Asuna dashed ahead of the group, slicing and dicing all the Heartless that blocked their path. Finally, they reached the doors, and they barged them open, making sure that their team came in, but not the Heartless, and closed the door behind them. They sighed in relief. They had made it to the room.

**Chapter 2: To the Throne Room**

Then looked around the room. They were white patterned walls, with a couple of paintings here and there. A fireplace was on one side of the room, and a table and chair on the other. On the far end of the room, there was a large, curvy bookshelf, and standing in front of it was someone that looked like that king, only in a red and pink flowing queen's dress.

They walked forward as she turned to them. Kirito and Asuna were surprised as they met her. Although they didn't see the King's face, it was now that they understood his species. She had a face of a mouse, with large round ears and a pointy nose. Her eyelashes were long, and she wore a golden tiara on top of her head with a ruby embedded on it.

Donald and Goofy walked straight up to her, and Donald saluted. "Your Majesty! Queen Minnie! We're back!" addressed Donald. She folded her hands together and smiled at them. "Your here." she stated.

Goofy stepped forward and saluted as well. "Your Royal Highness," he addressed her, "did ya happen to summon us?" "Yes." she answered.

While Kirito was distracted by a walking broom, Asuna and Sora walked up right behind Donald and Goofy. Sora parted between them without a sign of manners and asked, "Where's the King?" "Sora!" Asuna gasped, slugging him in the shoulder, and pointing to Minnie, telling him he was in front of royalty. Queen Minnie looked up at Sora and Asuna, then at Kirito, who came to Sora's other side, shaking his head at the weirdness of the brooms.

"Excuse him." Donald apologized, as he reached up to Sora and lowered him into a bow, "This is our friend, Sora." "And these other two are Asuna and Kirito." Goofy introduced. Asuna did a curtsy while Kirito bowed deeply in respect.

"Oh, Sora!" Minnie gasped, "The King told me all about you in his letters. He said you're a very brave young man." Sora rubbed his nose, pleased by this compliment. Minnie then looked from Kirito and Asuna as she continued, "He also had said in a recent letter that there were two more people with Keyblades that joined Sora. He has said that the two are just as kind, and has heard about your deeds in other worlds." Kirito and Asuna looked at one another, and smiled. Well, at least the King respects them.

"So, do you know where he is?" Sora asked the queen. Minnie shook her head, making Sora, Donald and Goofy sigh. "How about a man named DiZ?" Kirito asked as Yui popped out, "He was the one who sent us to this dimension, and we're trying to find him. Have you seen him?" Again, Minnie shook her head, and Kirito, Asuna and Yui sighed, too.

"Your Majesty, what are Heartless doing in your castle?" Donald asked her. "Oh my...So those are the Heartless." Minnie muttered, starting to pace. "Don't worry," assured Sora, "we'll take care of 'em!" "That's what were here for, anyway." Kirito stated as Asuna nodded in agreement. She turned back to the three Keyblade wielders. "I know I can count on you, Sora." she said, "As well as you two. Asuna. Kirito. Now, there's something I'd like all of you to come and see. Would you please escort me to the audience chamber?" "Hut!" the five of them responded, saluting in unison.

Suddenly, Queen Minnie gasped, remembering something. "I forgot to warn everyone else in the castle about the danger!" she said, "We must be sure they're hidden somewhere safe!" "Okay, we'll go tell them." Sora decided, Goofy, Asuna and Kirito nodding in agreement. "The whole castle?" questioned Donald. "We just gotta split up, Donald." Goofy told him.

"I'll make sure that everyone knows what's going on." Sora told them. "No, Sora, you'll just get lost!" Donald retorted. "That's true," agreed Asuna, "Neither me or Kirito know how to get around the castle either." "Okay." Sora responded, "Then we'll stay with the Queen." "We'll escort her to the audience chamber, safe and sound." Kirito stated. "Good!" Donald agreed. "All righty then, see ya later!" Goofy said, and he and Donald ran out the door, leaving the four remaining.

Sora turned to Minnie as he asked, "Um, the audience chamber, right, ma'am?" "Yes, Sora." she answered. "Let's be on our way." "Now I assume the throne room is behind those large doors we passed." Kirito asked the queen. "Yeah, the one with the glowing barrier protecting it." Queen Minnie nodded eagerly. "Then lets make sure that we take precautions before going." Kirito told them.

Sora decided now was the time to swap around the Hero's Crest with the Star Seeker he uses in Valor form, making sure he was ready. Asuna chose to switch her Oathkeeper around for her Rising Dragon to test it out. Kirito looked around the room, and found torn pictures on the ground. "These look like they are part of Pooh's Storybook." He examined them, handing them over to Sora. "Your right!" he replied excitedly, "Now we can fix part of Pooh's book!" Kirito nodded, smiling at their find, but he then changed focus points. He walked up to the door, and opened it.

Kirito charged out and was instantly introduced to dozens of Shadows and Minute Bombs. He used Thunder, and blew them away. "Sora, Asuna!" he shouted behind him, "Give me a hand! I'll protect Queen Minnie!" They nodded and charged ahead while Kirito led Minnie through the hall.

As they saw another wave of Heartless coming at them, Sora had an idea. "Think it's time I try out this..." he said, and he pulled out the Baseball Charm from his pocket. "That's the summoning charm, right?" Asuna asked. Sora nodded and raised it high.

"_Summon!_" she shouted, and the charm started to glow brightly. Suddenly, a short scenic change, and suddenly a child-sized and child-looking chicken in clothing came out of a special door, tripped, fell down and his glasses fell off him. Sora reached down, and gave the glasses to the new character, who put them on and looked up at Sora.

"Hey there!" he said to him, "I'm Chicken Little. You called?" "Nice to meet you, Chicken Little." Sora replied, "I'm Sora, and we have some Heartless trouble here." Chicken saw all the Heartless around them, and got to his feet. "No problem." he said promptly, "I can do this, Sora!" "Hey, don't forget me!" Asuna cut in, waving to the two. Chicken and Asuna shook hands, and the trio took into the battle.

Chicken Little was proving to be a great asset in the battle, although his only weapon is that he can throw baseballs at the enemy. Still, there was his whistle, which was so loud, that it stunned the Heartless, allowing Sora and Asuna to strike hard at them. At one point, Asuna took a couple of explosions from the Minute Bombs, but Chicken used his powers to help recover her.

"That little poultry boy ain't bad." Kirito commented as he sliced down a bunch of Heartless from behind Minnie. "Yeah, but there is a time limit to how long a person can be summoned." Yui explained. "Especially if you use a Limit Break." "I got that." Kirito responded, jumping back to Minnie. "Oh, dear." Minnie muttered, "I hope Sora can defeat them in time."

Sora, Asuna and Chicken Little got together again, seeing more Heartless in their path. "Chicken Little," Sora said, "Let's clear the road!" Chicken nodded, and looked seriously at the horde in front of them. "Prepare to hurt!" he warned them, and he and Sora started to connect.

The duo then started to shoot volleys of baseballs and firecrackers at the enemy like crazy. The baseballs didn't do as much as the firecrackers, but they did stun them. Asuna joined in by sending a barrage of Blizzard attacks at the enemies before them. With their combined effort, they cleared the road, leading to the throne room doors.

Just as they ended their Limit break, Chicken Little's body started to glow. "Looks like my time is up!" he stated, "Call me if you need me, Sora!" And with that, he vanished in a sparkle of lights. "Maybe it would be wise for me and Kirito to have a summon each." said Asuna, "That guy was certainly useful." Sora grinned, seeing Asuna understand the powers of his friends.

Kirito led Queen Minnie to the immense door, which was guarded by a purple aura with a symbol much like Minnie's and Mickey's face on it. Minnie turned to the group and told them, "Just one moment." She turned to the door and lifted her hand up to it. "As soon as the trouble started, I made sure to seal this room." she explained to the Keyblade wielders.

Using her powers, Minnie made the barrier vanish in a twinkling of lights. Suddenly, a much smaller door opened up on one part of the door, leading into the audience chamber. "Now then," Minnie said, turning to the trio, "shall we?" They nodded, and stepped into the chamber.

When they entered, they looked around. The audience chamber was quite big and long, and the throne was on the other side of the room. A red carpet led from the door to the throne room.

The group paused for a moment, seeing if the coast was clear, but then they realized it wasn't. A number of large Heartless fell down from above, impeding their path. They were Bolt Towers, and there were a lot. Sora, Kirito and Asuna raised their Keyblades as Minnie gasped, "Not her, too!" "We got 'em!" Kirito stated, turning to Asuna, then to Sora.

"Sora, protect the queen." he ordered him, "We can handle the Heartless. Get Queen Minnie to the throne!" "You got it!" Sora replied. Asuna and Kirito looked to one another, nodded in what must be done, then charged at the enemies.

The Bolt Towers were challenging. They were pretty enduring, and their hammering shockwaves were devastating. Kirito protected one side of the room while Asuna protected the other. Sora led Minnie down the red carpet to the throne room. As some of the Heartless got closer, Sora and Minnie combined their powers to push them away from the duo.

It took them a while, but Sora and the queen finally made it to the throne. "This way!" Sora shouted to the other two, and they came rushing to Sora's side, panting slightly from enduring them. There were still a bunch more coming at them. "Come on, gimme a break!" Asuna moaned, raising her Keyblade up again along with Kirito and Sora.

Minnie, meanwhile, was looking underneath one of the arms of the throne. She found a button underneath it and pressed it. Suddenly the whole throne and platform underneath it started to shake and then move, surprising the three. Just as it moved, a burst of light came from underneath, and it enveloped the whole room, causing the three to shade their eyes. When they opened them, they found that all of the Heartless disappeared from the room. All of them were extinguished by the light.

"Woah..." the three gasped, seeing how much the light did. They turned to where the light came from, and saw Minnie walking towards a flight of stairs that led to a place below the audience chamber.

"The room below is called the 'Hall of the Cornerstone.'" she explained to them as they put away their Keyblades, "Our castle has always been safe from the worlds that are evil, thanks to the Cornerstone of Light which we keep down there."

"The Cornerstone... of Light?" Sora repeated. He looked at the other two, who were just as confused as him. Then they saw Minnie walking down the flight of stairs, and they chased after her, going into the room below.

**Chapter 3: Maleficent & the Mysterious Door**

The three were walking with Minnie down the flight of stairs until they reached the room down below. When they first entered, the first words that came to their mind when describing the place was 'ominous'. Large, dark thorny vines plaque the walls and ceiling, covering the place into darkness. The only light that came from there was a massive, bright orb of light that stood in the center of the room, which stood on a plinth.

Donald and Goofy came rushing down the stairs from behind as the Queen walked up to the ball of light. "This is the castle's cherished Cornerstone." she told the group, then she moaned, "But look..." pointing out the vines, "...the thorns. They must be the work of someone very evil. I wonder what this could mean..."

"Looks to me you need a weed-whacker here." Kirito said sarcastically, walking up to one of the vines and producing his Oblivion. He then rushed to one of the vines and made a swing at it. But the vines were extremely enduring, and Kirito didn't even lay a scratch on it. "_Fire!_" Asuna tried on another vine, but it didn't work either. "Just what are these vines made of?" Kirito questioned, turning to Asuna, who had no idea.

Sora was walking up to the queen's side when suddenly, dark green flames seem to manifest in front of them. Kirito, Asuna, Donald and Goofy all rushed to them just as the flames disappeared, revealing a transparent image of a green-skinned women in a black and purple cloak, with horns on her headpiece and a long staff in her hand with a green orb. She turned the them, and they saw her eyes were, instead of white, yellow with petrifying black pupils.

"Maleficent!" Donald squawked. "No way!" Sora gasped. "Wait, didn't you guys say you took care of her before?" Asuna asked them exasperatedly, seeing her examine the room, then look at them.

"Well, well, well. What have we here...?" she said calmly, "If it isn't the wretched Keyblade holder, and his pitiful lackeys!" "What?!" shouted Donald, insulted by this, "Now you're gonna deal with me!" He raised his staff and charged at Maleficent. But instead of hitting her, he went right through her. It wasn't the real Maleficent, at least, not her real body.

She turned to look at Asuna and Kirito, both having their Keyblades raised. "So, it seems there are more chosen wielders of the Keyblade." she examined, seeing the two. "That's right!" Kirito growled, "Now why don't you go just get your entire body over here so I can show my full strength, witch!"

"All in good time." Maleficent responded as Donald got back to his feet again, "I promise you'll be able to partake of my vengeance. But you must be patient." "Patience isn't my best virtue." Kirito snarled, Asuna nodding in agreement.

"Just what are you doing here, Maleficent?!" Minnie asked her strongly. "Ah, Queen Minnie. Radiant, as always" Maleficent addressed, making a mock bow to her, "I'm here on a property venture. I want this castle for my own." she then turned to the Cornerstone as she continued, "However, it's a bit to 'bright' for what I have in mind. I suppose I'll just have to fill every room with my personal touch of darkness." She touched the Cornerstone, which sparked at her touch.

Sora produced his Keyblade as Minnie warned, "You'd better stop right now if you know what's good for you!" "Ooh, how frightening." Maleficent replied sarcastically, "Very well. I'll stop... just as soon as the castle belongs to me!" She vanished into a burst of green flames as her mad cackling rang through the room for a few seconds after she vanished.

"What a hag." Sora stated. "I can see how much you don't like her." Kirito understood. "How could somebody be so cruel?" Asuna asked quietly, angrily looking at the spot Maleficent disappeared. "Nothing like this has ever happened before." Minnie explained worriedly, "I looked through all the records in the library, but I couldn't find a single clue."

Just as Donald walked back to them, Goofy made a sound like he had an idea. Everyone looked to him, confused. "We should go ask somebody who knows lotsa stuff that ain't in any book!" "Sorry, but I don't know about what this place is either." Yui told him. "He means somebody else, Yui." Kirito corrected her.

"Merlin the Wizard!" Donald shouted. "Yeah, he might know something about this." Asuna agreed. "Yes! That's perfect!" Minnie also agreed, "Merlin just might know something about this mess. Let's ask his advice!"

"We saw him at Hollow Bastion, right?" Goofy asked the crew. "Yeah, let's go!" Sora declared. He led the crew out of the room, up to the docking bay. As soon as they got there, Yui immediately flew into the Gummi ship before them, and set the coordinates for Hollow Bastion. Just as everyone got into the Gummi ship, they took off, heading to find Merlin the Wizard.

Thank goodness Hollow Bastion was near the Disney Castle, so it didn't take them a half hour to get there. Yui went to the panel and set the transporter ready. "I've set is so we can teleport down into Merlin's house." she explained. She flew with the others to the transporter, and they teleported out of the ship.

They arrived in Merlin's house, and looked around. Nobody was there. "Anybody home?" Sora called out. "Merlin!" Donald shouted. "The castle's in danger!" cried Goofy. Kirito and Asuna stood there, waiting for a reply.

Suddenly, Merlin appeared in a puff of smoke directly between Asuna and Kirito, making them jump back in surprise. "What is all that racket?" he asked, then he saw Sora and the others and chuckled, "Ho-ho! I thought-oh, it's you!"

The five heroes gathered in front of Merlin. "It looks like you've learned a bit since the last time I saw you." he stated, eyeing the five of them. "Really?!" exclaimed Sora, but he was cut off by Donald's outcry.

"Wait a minute!" he shouted, "Let's talk about the problem! It's Maleficent! She's back!" "Where? Inside the castle?!" Merlin asked them. "Yep! And Heartless, too." Goofy added. "Oh, dear..." moaned the wizard.

Donald then started to explain what was happening in the castle, along with what Maleficent was planning to do. His conversation sounded like it would go on for a while, then Merlin sighed, then he waved his hands, and the group vanished in a puff of white smoke.

Back in the castle, Queen Minnie, Chip and Dale stood in the Hall of the Cornerstone, when they heard Donald's echoing voice throughout the room. "There's Heartless in every part of the castle..." he continued as they appeared into the room, "The Queen is in danger!"

The crew suddenly realized that they were back in the Hall of the Cornerstone. "So that's what it's like to teleport in this world." Kirito realized, looking at the change of scenery. Donald, on the other hand, was irritated by their instant transition while he was still speaking. "Perhaps, I'd better just see for myself." Merlin suggested, walking to the Cornerstone of Light. He examined it, along with the entire room, muttering a bit.

"What's happening, Merlin?" Queen Minnie asked the wizard. "This is not good." he answered as Sora, Kirito and the others walked up to him, "In fact, I'm afraid, it's quite serious." He turned to everyone and he cleared his throat. He then started to wave his hands, muttering a silent incantation. Suddenly, in the middle of the room, a door appeared. It was silver, with a crown-shaped frame around it, but the back of the door wasn't there.

"What's that?" Asuna asked Merlin. "My girl, that is a gateway to a special world." Merlin explained as they walked up to it, "Someone in that world is responsible for what's going on in this castle. Of that, I'm certain."

"Oh, boy!" Donald squawked. "We knew we could count on you, Merlin!" complimented Goofy. "I assume it's one of those special doors that lead into another room that doesn't seem to be there." Kirito asked as he looked around to the back the door and saw nothing. "Correct." Merlin answered.

"Then we should go get him!" declared Sora, reaching to the handles of the door. "Wait a moment!" Merlin impeded, walking back to the Cornerstone of Light, "The perpetrators must be stopped of course. But there's something else to do first. Somewhere in that world, there should be another door that's identical to this one. I believe our enemies are utilizing that door. As long as it remains open, the castle will be in grave danger."

"Wait. I think I know what you are about to say." Kirito cut him off, "We must find this other door, and lock it up tight so the enemy doesn't use it again. Right?" "Well, you certainly can catch on." Merlin answered brightly, "Yes. You must do so, and lock it with your Keyblades." "Got it!" Sora, Kirito and Asuna responded. "You can count on us!" Yui exclaimed.

"Now, one more thing." Merlin continued, "You're heading into a very special world. While you're there, the nature of that world may tempt you to do something dark. You must resist that temptation at all cost!" "What do you mean?" Sora asked. "You'll know soon enough." Merlin answered, "I have faith in you, my lads!"

The group stared at one another, questioning what Merlin meant. Then they decided not to figure it out at the moment, and to go on ahead into the world. Sora led the group to the door, and opened it up. It was quite a struggle to open, but he opened it just enough for all of them to look in. A bright light came out of the door, and they were sucked into it. The door then closed behind them. "Good luck, everyone." Merlin muttered as the door closed.

**Chapter 4: A Retro Perspective**

They seem to float in midair for a while, then suddenly there was shaking and tumbling, with noises that sounded like they came from a cartoon, then they were spat out of the other end of the door. Sora, Goofy, Asuna and Kirito were the first to fly in, Donald fell behind them.

Goofy lifted his head first and shook it, Sora, Kirito followed next. "Hey, look!" Goofy cried, "There's the Cornerstone of Light!" The gang got to their feet and saw that Goofy was right. The Cornerstone was on top of a hill, four blocks surrounding the base so it wouldn't roll off.

Sora and Kirito walked up to the Cornerstone and examined it a bit. Then Kirito noticed something. "Is it just me, or are things black and white around us?" he asked, turning to Sora, who turned back to him, and realized that they've changed.

Their body structure seemed different. Their legs and arms were thinner, their shoulders less sharp, and their hands somewhat fatter. Their faces rounded, and their eyes changed, too. Their hairs were less messy, but the style stayed the same. Sora's clothes looked like the ones he wore before the fairy's in Yen Sid's tower changed them. Kirito's looked like his old SAO uniform. Both clothes had one similarity; less details, less sharp corners.

"What's going on?" Sora asked, looking down himself, "Everything's black and white!" "More like an old cartoon." Kirito described. It was also then that Kirito realized their voices seemed somewhat different, like they really were talking in an old time movie.

They turned and saw that Donald, Goofy and Asuna all changed. All of their body structures changed like theirs. Donald had on a sailor-like uniform. Goofy simply had his tall hat and sleeveless shirt with one button. Asuna looked like she was in her SAO uniform, and just like the guys, hers had less details to it.

"Wha-what happened to us?!" Asuna asked, frantically looking around her body, "Why do I look like this?!" "I think this might be the world's rules." Yui answered, popping out of Kirito's pocket. Even she had been changed in the world. "World design rule's?" Kirito repeated. "Yeah," Sora answered, "Some worlds have their own set of rules that you are suppose to follow. These rules can even change your look." "Thanks for the head's up." Asuna replied sarcastically, finding this new info unreassuring.

"Hey," Donald squawked, "this is kinda like...um...uh..." "Déjà vu?" Goofy guessed. "Yeah, that's it!" Donald answered. "Really?" Sora asked, "Have you been here before?" Donald and Goofy thought for a while, then shrugged.

Suddenly, they saw a guy rush by them, heading towards the road with the sign that said 'Pier' on it. He was big and round, black skinned, with cat-like features, including whiskers and a tail. He had a tall hat like Goofy's, only it looked a bit of an old sea captain flare to it. He had on overalls, with one strap broken off. He looked somewhat familiar. _Is that...Pete?_ Kirito and Asuna thought.

Pete skidded to a halt as he saw the five of them. "Hey, you!" he said, waving his hand in greeting them, "Seen any bad guys around here?" The five of them all pointed a finger back at Pete, who was shocked and offended by their answer. He then raised his fist, angered. "Why I oughta...!" he started, looking like he was ready to fight. Sora, Kirito and the others raised their weapons, which were all normal, only black and white.

Suddenly, Pete suddenly remembered something, and lowered his fists, "Bah! I don't have time to waste on punks like you. So, I guess I'll go easy on ya!" he sneered, then he turned and ran down the road to the pier. The gang put their weapons away and looked at one another.

"Well, there's our villain." Sora stated. The others nodded. "Quick! After him!" Asuna cried, leading the crew down the road to the pier. They arrived to see Pete standing on a wooden dock, looking up and down the river before him. The group walked up to him, who turned to see their group coming.

"What's with you squirts?" Pete asked irritably, "You got some kinda bone to pick with me?" "More than one!" Sora responded, frowning at him. This made Pete even more irritated, and he started to swing his arm around like a windmill, growling, "Them's fightin' words." It looked like a battle was about to happen now.

Suddenly, what sounded like a train whistle seem to emanate down the river, perking Pete's ears. He looked to where it came from, then was about to walk towards where it came from when the five heroes impeded his path. "Not so fast!" Kirito warned him, raising his Keyblade for combat. "Yeah!" agreed Asuna, raising her Keyblade, too.

The two SAO characters charged in and struck Pete hard in the gut, sending him flying backwards. "We can take care of him!" Kirito declared, and he and Asuna charged in for another assault.

_(Imagine Cartoon fighting noises) _Sora, Donald and Goofy watched as the two pretty much overwhelmed Pete, oohing and ohing for every hit they dealt upon him. Goofy even put his hands over his eyes at some point, and Donald did the same on another point. Sora just kept watching Pete flailing in the air, helpless. "Oh, that's brutal!" Sora remarked, seeing Pete fall to the ground hard.

Finally, the battle was over. Asuna and Kirito were standing over the collapsed Pete, stars spinning around his head. "That seemed way too easy." Kirito stated, remembering their battle back at Hercules' world. "He didn't really put up much of a fight." said Asuna as she and Kirito put away their Keyblades.

They were walking back to Sora and the others when Pete sat up, groaning, shaking his head. Finally, he said angrily, "What's you punks' beef with me anyway?" He then examined the five of them, wondering. "Who are ya?" he asked, "You new around here?"

"Cut the act." Sora told him. "I don't think it's an act." Yui stated, eyeing Pete closely. "Huh?" Asuna and Kirito questioned, looking at Yui.

Suddenly, the same whistle blew again, drawing Pete's attention. He had just turned when he heard the sound of bone cracking. Pete's back was hurt. He fell back on his but, moaning in pain.

Goofy then walked up to the others, concern about something. "You know, somethin' doesn't seem quite right here." he said, verbalizing his thoughts. "My thoughts exactly." Asuna agreed, then she turned to Pete and asked, "Are you sure you're Pete?"

"Well, of COURSE I'm Pete." he answered, turning to them, "I'm the captain of the steamboat. So stop botherin' me, see?" Another sound of bone cracking told him he turned to them too far. He grasped his back as he continued, "So hit the road! I gotta go find the little runt what stole my boat!"

The five of them turned away from Pete and huddled together. "Gawrsh, maybe we made a mistake." he whispered to them. "I'm starting to think the same thing." agreed Sora, folding his arms in thought, "He hasn't even called any Heartless." "You're right." Yui seconded, "This Pete isn't as bad as the one we know. He doesn't even know us." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Goofy walked up to Pete in front of everybody as he said, "Sorry we attacked ya like that, Capt'n Pete." Pete turned to them with a frown on his face, and he stood up. "Oh yeah?" he replied, "Well, if you're really sorry, then go find my steamboat." "Y-yes sir!" replied Sora.

Another cracking of bones. "Oh, my achin' back!" Pete moaned as everyone gathered around him, helping him out.

**Chapter 5: Seeing from Another View**

The gang went back to the hill where the Cornerstone stood. "I thought for sure Pete was the bad guy." Sora moaned. "Aw, that would be too easy!" squawked Donald. "Then lets go find who the real culprit is, and seal that door." Kirito suggested, "We need to stop what's happening to the castle." "We should." Asuna agreed, "We can't stay around here and dawdle while Maleficent is planning her next move."

"But what about findin' that steamboat?" Goofy asked them. "I guess we DID say we would..." Sora muttered. "Hey! We've got a door to find!" interjected Donald. "I agree with Donald." Kirito chose, "Finding that door should be our highest priority." "Oh, yeah!" agreed Sora. "Well, whose to say the steamboat will lead us to the door?" Asuna asked, looking around, "Cause I don't see any doors around here."

"Wait, what's that?" Sora asked, pointing to something. The group turned and saw, what looked like, a floating canvas with frills and curtains that covered the screen. A ball and rope were attached to the side of the canvas.

The five of them walked up to it to examine it closer. "What's this thing suppose to be?" Kirito asked. "I can't see a thing." Sora said. Donald walked up and pulled down the rope. The curtains opened up to them and the screen was revealed. It looked like a old movies screen, and it was playing something to them.

On the same hill, there were four separate small, floating doors, and Heartless were gathering to each door. Suddenly, the door opened for them, and each set of Heartless went into the doors, which closed behind them, and vanished. Just then, they saw in the background the special gateway they entered into start to shake like crazy. It opened up, and Sora, Kirito, Goofy, Asuna and Donald came flying out and fell to the ground.

Goofy lifted his head first and shook it, Sora, Kirito followed next. "Hey, look!" Goofy cried, "There's the Cornerstone of Light!" Sora and Kirito walked up to the Cornerstone and examined it a bit. "Is it just me, or are things black and white around us?" Kirito asked, turning to Sora, who turned back to him, and saw the changes they went through.

"What's going on?" Sora asked, looking down himself, "Everything's black and white!" "More like an old cartoon." Kirito described. They turned and saw that Donald, Goofy and Asuna all changed.

"Wha-what happened to us?!" Asuna asked, frantically looking around her body, "Why do I look like this?!" "I think this might be the world's rules." Yui answered, popping out of Kirito's pocket. Even she had been changed in the world. "World design rule's?" Kirito repeated. "Yeah," Sora answered, "Some worlds have their own set of rules that you are suppose to follow. These rules can even change your look." "Thanks for the head's up." Asuna replied sarcastically, finding this new info unreassuring.

"Hey," Donald squawked, "this is kinda like...um...uh..." "Déjà vu?" Goofy guessed. "Yeah, that's it!" Donald answered. "Really?" Sora asked, "Have you been here before?" Suddenly, the screen went blank, and the curtain closed on them.

"What was that?" Sora asked. "Heartless goin' out..." started Goofy, "...and us coming in." Asuna finished. "Were we being videotaped?!" Kirito asked, looking around the scenery.

"What does it mean?" Sora asked. Donald tried pulling the rope again, but nothing happened. Guess it was a one time moment. "So, I guess that means we have to hunt down those Heartless in order to find the answer." Kirito summed up, Asuna nodding in agreement.

"Hey look!" Donald cried, pointing over yonder. They turned, and saw the same four floating doors that were in the clip around the hill. Each of them had a picture; one that looked like a building under construction, one with a man tied down to the ground with rope, one with a burning building, and one that had a house with Mickey's emblem on it.

"Let's get rid of those Heartless!" Sora declared, the other four nodding in agreement. "Then what'll we do?" Goofy asked. "We'll worry about that later!" Kirito answered.

"Let's start with that one!" Asuna chose, pointing to the door nearest to them, the one with the construction picture. They ran to the door, opened it up, and squeezed right through it. Next thing you know, they were standing on top of a board that was in the middle of the air, held by ropes. Next to them, a building was under construction, and it was nothing but I-beams that seem to bend all over the place.

"What're they building?" Sora asked, looking to one end. "Some sort of big building." Kirito answered simply, seeing the skeleton of the building in front of him. Suddenly, something was falling from the sky. "Look out!" Goofy cried to Kirito, and he turned just in time to see a new Heartless in front of him, one with a head like a hammer.

Kirito was about to prepare for a fight when somebody came swinging on a rope, and slammed into the Heartless, causing it to fall down. "The King!" Donald cried as the person flew up to a high point of the building.

He was a mouse figure like Minnie, with overalls and he had on overalls with two big buttons that connected the straps. "Gee, he seems kinda different somehow..." Goofy muttered.

The gang looked up even further, and saw the same kind of Heartless on the beams above them. "Heartless! I knew it!" Sora shouted. Kirito waved to the King as he said to him, "You really saved me back there. Thanks!" The group drew their weapons as the Heartless fell down to meet them. "Now, let's get those Heartless!" Kirito declared, and everyone nodded.

The gang charged at the Heartless, for which Yui described as Hammer Frames. They were creating shockwaves on the ground by hammering their heads to the ground. This was causing the board to splinter. "Quick, make sure they don't break this scaffold!" Asuna cried as she swung a Heartless into the air.

Kirito was dealing the most damage of the group, but then he saw Minute bombs falling from the sky. "Damn it." he growled, remembering how devestating they were, and there were a lot of them now, "How do we deal with these?" He then looked at the roping support in the center of the floor they stood on, and a crazy idea struck him. "Everybody, jump!" Kirito shouted to the others. They did so, and Kirito went and smacked the rope as hard as he could.

This caused the scaffold to shake violently, and all of the Heartless were flung into the air, helpless. "Now!" he cried, leaping up to meet them. Everybody started slashing and hitting all of the Heartless around them, eliminating the lot. They defeated everyone of them.

They landed back on the board just as the King landed onto it as well. "How do you like that!" Kirito exclaimed as the mouse ran up to meet him. He grabbed his hand, shook it like crazy, waved in goodbye, then ran off. "That was certainly...something." Kirito said slowly, rubbing his hand as he saw the King disappear.

"Hey, look!" Goofy said, pointing to one corner of the board. There was another floating screen that appeared out of nowhere. They walked up to it as Donald reached up and pulled the rope, revealing the screen. The screen started to play something.

The scene takes place back at Maleficent's castle in Hollow Bastion, from somebody's viewpoint. "You absolute idiot!" said a woman who's back was turned to them, "You managed to fail at everything!" She turned to them, revealing the woman to be Maleficent as she continued, "And what's more...you foolishly thought you could take my place while I was away." The person who they were seeing from was turning away from Maleficent.

"Well, as of now, you're finished." Maleficent continued, the face turning back to her to see she came in closer, "Mark my words, there'll be no place for you when our time comes!" She turned away again and walked off, only to stop to say, "Useless imbecile...", then continue off away from viewpoint. "But-but...but I..." stammered the man who they were seeing from. Then the screen went blank.

The five heroes stopped watching, and gathered to discuss. "What-?" Sora stammered. "Somebody sure was angry." Goofy pointed out. "That woman definitely looked familiar." Kirito assumed. "I don't understand." Asuna muttered, "Who was she talking to?" Everybody thought for a second, then Sora stated, "Let's just try to clear out the Heartless first. That place is ok. but we've got three more spots to check." Everybody nodded agreement.

They walked back to the hill, and went through the door that had a guy tied to the ground. Next thing, they arrived in a small place; by that, I mean a small town, as in Sora and the others looked like giants compared to the place. They all looked around in surprise.

"The town's shrunk!" exclaimed Sora. "Or do ya think maybe we got bigger?" Goofy asked. "Hey, look!" Yui giggled, flying out of Kirito's pocket and onto the ground, "I almost look like the right size." "You're right." Asuna giggled in response, seeing that she was just a little bigger than the town, but close.

"Hey! Look at the toy cannons!" laughed Sora, seeing a tall tower near them with a bunch of cannons sticking out. The gang gathered around the tower, which was the only thing that was taller than them.

Sora looked around the tower, and saw Mickey just as big as them, jumping in the air, his arms flailing. "What's he saying?" Sora asked. "Probably to watch out for those!" Yui answered, pointing to something behind them. They turned to see planes in the air, with guys in them. "Hey! They're Heartless!" exclaimed Sora. "Correction, they're called Aeroplanes!" Yui explained.

The Heartless started to drop bombs into the town. "They're gonna destroy the town!" Asuna exclaimed, "Quick, we have to defeat them!" Everybody pulled out their weapons and dispersed.

The plane were somewhat fast, but Sora and everybody were quicker. They still had to watch their footing, so as to not damage the town themselves. They saw more Heartless coming in, Hammer Frames this time, who were hammering the town down. "There's just way too many of them!" Donald squawked. "We need a plan to move them away from the city!" Kirito shouted, taking down a Heartless.

"Guys! Get down!" Sora shouted. The others turned to see Sora make a leap onto the tower. "You're crazy!" Asuna and Kirito shouted, but they ducked just the same. Sora landed on the tower, and activated all of the cannons! The cannons definitely did their job, blasting several shots at the Heartless, and causing them to be blown back away from the town.

"Stupid, but it works!" Asuna stated, and the five of them charged at all of the Heartless, and they took out all that was left of them. They regrouped near the tower again. "Man, that was weird!" Sora stated as Mickey rushed up to him. He shook Sora's hand hard, then waved to all of them, then took off once more.

"Look, everyone! Over there!" Goofy cried, pointing to another floating screen. They walked up to is as Donald pulled the rope, revealing the screen. It started to play.

It was after Maleficent left whoever they were seeing from. "Aw, for cryin' out loud...she didn't have to go and say that." moaned the person, "Okay, I mighta messed up every now and then. But I'm a lot more things than useless. Why, when I was startin' out...Oh...I must those good ol' days. What I wouldn't give to go back in time. 'sniff' What I wouldn't give..." The person sounded as if he was about to cry.

Suddenly, a light shone around the room the person was standing in. He looked around, wondering where it came from, then he looked behind him, and saw the special door Sora and the others went through before. He slowly crept up to it, examining it. He reached out and pulled open the door, gasping, "Hey...I think that's my...!" suddenly the screen went blanking.

The five heroes stopped watching, and looked at one another. "A door?" Sora questioned, thinking about what he saw. "It looks familiar..." Donald muttered. "Duh, that was the door Merlin conjured up for us." Kirito answered for them.

"So it should come straight here, right?" Sora asked. "Sure! I think..." Goofy guessed. "Let's check it out!" Sora proclaimed. Everybody nodded in agreement, but first they had to take out more Heartless.

**Chapter 6: Secret of the World & Identities**

They left the small town, and entered the door with the burning building picture on it. Next thing you know, they were underneath a dark sky, and there was an actual tall building that was burning up in front of them, with sirens blaring in the air. The building, for some reason, was shaking like it was a person that was on fire. "Fire!" Sora shouted, rushing to the scene.

They turned and saw Mickey coming from behind the building, and saw a bunch of, what looked like, will-o-the-wisps in front of him. He tried to see if there was a place to get around, but he took off, frightened. "C'mon, he needs our help!" Sora shouted as everybody pulled their weapons out. "Majesty!" Donald squawked.

"Guys, over there!" Asuna cried, pointing to a larger will-o-the-wisp that was producing the smaller ones. The small ones bounced towards the building, and set more of it on fire. "We have to stop those from burning the building down!" Asuna proclaimed, and everyone nodded. Heartless appeared from the ground, blocking their path, and they went to work on them.

There were only shadows at first, and the large will-o-the-wisps. Asuna gave the idea of cooling those down with Blizzard attacks, which worked like a charm. However, new Heartless appeared, car-like ones called Hot Rods, and they were pretty difficult to defeat. They were fast, really fast, and everybody but Asuna was having a difficult time keeping up with them.

Asuna's evasiveness, accuracy and magic were just enough to stop them. Donald and Goofy were taking out the fires while Kirito and Sora started to shoot Blizzards at the burning building, dying the flames. Asuna finished off all of the Heartless on her own.

The building stopped flaming, and it calmed down. Everybody gathered together again, Mickey ran up to Asuna. He shook Asuna's hand hard, waved to everyone, and took off. "Well, that takes care of that!" Asuna proclaimed, looking at the place where Mickey took off.

"Hey!" Goofy cried, seeing another floating screen behind them. They walked over as Donald pulled down the rope, and the curtains opened for them, revealing the screen. It started to play.

The scene displayed Maleficent standing at the open door, with the person they were seeing from watching from the side. "Fascinating..." Maleficent muttered, "This appears to be a portal to the past!" "Yeah, it was the strangest thing!" nodded the person. "Stop gawking!" sneered Maleficent, "And start thinking of a way we can use it to our advantage!" "Okay." responded the voice.

"Now, perhaps I could give you one more chance to redeem yourself." Maleficent continued. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" the person responded happily, folding his hands together in front of him, "You can count on me! So, what do I do?"

"Patience, my dear..." Maleficent answered, looking further in, and noticing something, "What have we here? Well, if it isn't the Cornerstone of Light. Mmm...Now we can take the castle from those fools, but we'll have to proceed with the utmost of care..." The screen then went blank.

The group looked at each other, shocked by what they discovered. "Maleficent!" squawked Donald. "I knew it." Kirito said silently. "She must have known all along!" Sora assumed.

"Let's see," Goofy thought out loud, "if that door's connected to the past..." "No, no, no! It comes here." Donald corrected him. "No, Goofy is right." Asuna stopped Donald, "If that door goes to the past, then that means...we're in the past, too!"

"Wow." Sora gasped. "Ok, this dimension's getting weirder and weirder." Kirito moaned, "How in the hell could we have traveled back in time? Wait...I forgot. We're in a different dimension. The rules are different here." Kirito sighed, having a hard time dealing with all of this. Asuna and Yui tried to comfort him.

"If we're in the past..." Sora started. "...we can change the future!" Donald finished excitedly. "Hold the phone, you guys!" Asuna stopped them, "Remember what Merlin said? He has faith in us. And we have to resist temptation no matter what!"

Donald and Sora looked at each other, then acted casual. "Aw, I was only joking." Donald responded. "Who'd want to change the future, anyway?" Sora asked, then he stopped looking foolish as he continued, "So...what are we gonna do?"

"Doors, dad guys...Gawrsh, my brain hurts!" Goofy moaned. "Well then, I'll just say it clearly; we take out the final group of Heartless, and figure out the rest of the story." Kirito summed up. Everybody nodded in agreement. "Then let's go!" Sora proclaimed, and they ran back to the hill.

They entered the final door, the one with the house and Mickey's emblem. When they entered, they found themselves inside a house, and in front of them was what looked like a black hole in the middle of the house, sucking stuff inside of it. Out of one room, Mickey came dashing in, and nervously looked around the black hole as it sucked in a toy train and a chair.

"C'mon, he needs our help!" Sora told the others as Heartless, the Rapid Thrusters, came flying in, chasing Mickey away from the scene. All five of them ran into battle, pulling their weapons out once more for combat.

The Rapid Thrusters were easy to take care of. The only problem was the black hole in the middle of the room. "We need to stop it somehow!" Kirito exclaimed. "But how? It's a black hole!" Asuna shouted, thwacking at a couple Rapid Thrusters. "We do it like this!" Sora stated, and with a few whacks of his Keyblade, the black hole shrunk.

"How in the...?" Asuna started. "Different dimension, remember?" Kirito reminded her. "Maybe the Keyblade had special qualities that prevent it from being sucked in." Yui guessed. "Well, we'll figure it out another time." Kirito waved off, "Let's take care of the Heartless!"

The five of them overwhelmed the Heartless, and defeated every one of them. The black hole then disappeared from sight, and spat all the stuff it sucked in back to their original positions. The team got together just as Mickey ran up, shook Sora's hand again, waved to everyone, then took off. "Whew!" sighed Sora. "I couldn't agree more." Kirito agreed, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"There's the last one!" said Goofy, pointing to another floating screen that was in front of the fireplace. They gathered to it as Donald pulled the rope, opening the curtains to reveal the screen once more. It started to play.

The scene took place after Maleficent was examining the door to the past. She was looking at the person who hey were seeing from. "Listen well." she told him, as the person nodded, "On the other side of this portal, they're about to begin construction on that wretched castle. But until then, their treasured Cornerstone of Light lies unguarded, with all of its' power still contained!" "The Cornerstone...of Light?" repeated the person. "Yes!" hissed Maleficent, "That cursed sphere is the very thing that prevents us from entering the castle. "Oh." responded the person.

"You know what must be done?" Maleficent asked him, but she didn't give him time to respond, "Go then. Time to prove your worth! And don't dare to fail me again!" She turned away from the person and walked off.

Just then, they were at last coming out of the view of the person, whose back was turned to the screen. He looked fairly familiar. "Don't fail her again," he muttered, "let's see..." Finally, his ears perked up as he said, "That's it!" and the view turned to see the person's face. It was Pete!

"I just gotta smash that Cornerstone to smithereens!" Pete concluded. He started to laugh deeply at his own smartness. "But first..." he said, opening the special door once more, "I gotta go get my old boat back." The screen went blank.

The group stood in shock, then they dashed back to the hill again before discussing what they saw. "It was Pete after all!" Sora stated. "Why, he tricked us!" Donald growled. "Still, something doesn't seem right." Goofy muttered.

"Goofy's right," Asuna agreed, "The Pete we met here had kind of an attitude, but he didn't seem like a bad guy..." "Not to mention the Pete we know is a lot stronger than the one we met." Kirito added.

"Look!" Yui cried, pointing towards where the path leading to the waterway was at. There, sure enough, was Pete, and it was the modern one. His body didn't change, his uniform was still the same, only he was black and white like everything else. He turned to where they were, saw them, and laughed maliciously. "Now that castle's as good as ours!" And with that, he ran off.

"That's the Pete we know!" Sora proclaimed. "Bad! Bad! Bad!" Donald squawked. "Oh, no!" Goofy yelped, pointing to the top of the hill.

The Cornerstone was no longer there. "The Cornerstone's gone!" Asuna gasped. "We need to go after Pete, now!" Kirito shouted to the others, "If we don't, the castle will be filled with darkness! We better hurry!"

They were just about to run when they saw the other Pete run past them, holding his side as he panted. "Hey, hold it right there!" shouted Sora. "No way, small fry!" Pete responded, "I finally found the pipsqueak what stole my steamboat!" "Yeah! It was you!" Asuna accused him. "Right, me!" he said eagerly, then he corrected, "No! No! It wasn't me! It's just somebody who looks like me!" "Aw, which is it?!" Sora asked exasperatedly.

"You know," Yui assumed, "if we really are in the past, then that could mean that this is the past Pete, not the Pete we know and hate." "That make sense." Kirito answered, "In that case, let's help the past Pete out, and stop Pete from taking Pete's boat, and that Pete...oh, never mind!" He then led the group towards the path that led to the waterway.

**Chapter 7: Battle along the Waterway**

They arrived just in time to hear Past Pete shout, "Waaaait!" "Shaddup!" responded Present Pete, shoving him back away from the steamboat, which was sitting alongside the waterway, with the Cornerstone of Light in a wooden cage tied to the back on a raft. "Your future's on the line, pallie, so back off and give me the boat!" Present Pete stated, and with one swing, he sent Past Pete flying away.

The team rounded the corner to see Pete hop onto the cage the Cornerstone was in. "The Cornerstone!" shouted Donald. "After him!" Sora shouted, and the group charged in. Pete waved a hand to the steamboat, which more than likely had Heartless in it, because it started to move, he saw the five coming, saluted them off, then started to laugh maniacly as the steamboat twisted around, and was in the middle of the river, unreachable to the others. "We need to stop him before he escapes!" Kirito shouted, and the others nodded in agreement."

"You punks couldn't follow me if you wanted to!" Pete taunted, smacking his behind at them, "Later losers!" He then conjured up some large cardboard boxes and metal pans, and started to throw it at them. They avoided getting hit, and Asuna tried firing Blizzard attacks at Pete, but he dodged them with ease.

"How can we reach him?!" Goofy cried, avoiding a frying pan. "Like this!" Sora answered, catching one of the cardboard boxes with his Keyblade, and sending it flying back at Pete, hitting him. "Use his own power against him?" Kirito summed up, "Worth a shot."

As Pete threw another cardboard box and a couple large metal pans at them, Sora, Kirito and Asuna all caught one a piece, and sent them flying back at Pete. Asuna then aimed and fired a Blizzard at the place where the Heartless should be driving. However, it turned out that there wasn't anybody there.

"Wha-who's driving the steamboat?!" Asuna asked, baffled. "Nobody." Yui responded, getting a better view of the deck of the ship, "It's driving on its' own." "How is it...?" Asuna started, but Kirito cut her off by shouting, "Let's just say for the record, there is no logic in this world whatsoever!" This was true in their case. A black hole, a shrunken town, even having two Petes. There was no logic in their book.

Asuna looked frustrated, then she thought of an idea. She grabbed on of the metal pans near them, latched it to her Keyblade, then took careful aim, and threw it. The frying pan went into the deck, and hit the steering wheel of the ship. It spun so fast that the steamboat started spinning rapidly in the war, Pete falling on his back from all the attacks that were dealt on him. The steamboat and raft on the back slammed onto the side of the river, where it looked dazed, the chimneys drooping on the steamboat were full proof (as far as illogic went). "Guess there's no logic in that." Asuna said smugly, whipping her Keyblade around.

"Way to go, Asuna!" Sora shouted. "Yeah, but that box is sturdy." Donald described, shooting at the side of the wooden cage with fire, but it was blocked by a barrier. "Hit the side closest to the steamboat!" Yui told them, "I see it's the weaker side!" Sora dashed to the crane, which was turned to the shore. He grabbed the hook to it, and the crane lifted him and carried him to the side Yui described.

With one hand, he held onto the hook, but with the other, he started swinging his Keyblade at the box, which was being damaged from every strike. Suddenly, the crane started to shake, then it swung violently, and sent Sora flying off. "Sora!" Donald, Goofy and Asuna shouted.

Kirito dashed into action, he leapt up, flying past the falling Sora, and took hold of the hook to the crane before it swung around again. He held on for dear life as he started to swing at the wooden cage as strongly as he could. "Kirito!" shouted Sora, getting to his feet again and watching him.

_Faster..._ Kirito thought, swinging his Keyblade quicker at the cage, which started to splinter. The crane shook violently, signaling Kirito to stop swinging and to hold onto the hook as the crane tried to throw him off again. _Faster! _Kirito thought more sternly as the crane swung him back at the crate again, and he started swinging more furiously. Everybody was cheering as he kept striking the cage, harder and faster. "Faster!" he shouted angrily, swinging his Keyblade so fast, that it was unrecognizable anymore. Finally, his Keyblade started to glow brightly, and with one swing, the cage broke, sending Pete flying off the top and into the water.

"Yes!" Sora cheered as Pete splashed in. "Kirito, you did it!" Asuna cried as Kirito was swung back to the land again, and he landed onto his feet. "Way to go, papa!" Yui cheered, flying in and hugging her 'father'. Asuna joined her, hugging Kirito tightly. "Thanks...you guys." he replied, slightly panting, "I just...needed to stop it, that's all."

Pete's torso came out of the water, spitting out water in his mouth. "You'll pay for this!" he shouted, his fist raised. However, he was hit by the raft that came at him, causing him to sink into the water again.

The steamboat slowly came to a halt. Everybody looked around to see if the coast was clear. Pete was coming ashore while they weren't looking. "It's the Cornerstone!" Donald pointed out, seeing the ball filled with light, still intact. Pete shook off all the water on him then looked back at the Cornerstone. Finally he gave up on it, and ran off. All but Donald were about to go after him.

"Donald, we'll come back for it later!" Sora called out. "Pete's headin' for the doorway!" Goofy explained. "We need to seal it before it disappears on us!" Kirito exclaimed, and everybody ran towards the direction Pete ran off to, which was the wharf.

**Chapter 8: Pete vs. Pete & Friends**

When they got there, they saw that Pete was being impeded by the Past Pete. As they got closer, they saw Present Pete wind up his fist before swinging it at Past Pete's face, causing him to fall back in the middle of the five. He cried in pain as he gripped his face. "Ha! You're still wet behind the ears!" sassed Present Pete as the others came rushing up to him, their weapons at the ready.

"Then try us!" Sora shouted. "We're more than a challenge for you!" Kirito shouted. Just as they were prepared, Past Pete barges in, and is ready to brawl with Present Pete once more. "I'll show ya' who you're dealing with here!" Past Pete growled, raising his fists for combat. "Looks like we got help." Asuna implied. Question that flowed through Kirito's mind was how much help would he be?

Past Pete charged in, and was about to slug his Present, but he punched him back. Everybody else joined the fray, Sora, Goofy and Kirito charging in first while Donald and Asuna started firing Thunder attacks from a distance.

Present Pete was a lot better than before. He threw a barrage of firework balls and rolled bowling balls at them, not to mention his strength was powerful. Past Pete was of no help, considering his Present had years of experience, and he pretty much kept getting in the way. Sora decided to go first in using his Valor form, and started to wail his Keyblades at a fast and strong pace against him. Kirito joined in, and did a backhand swing on Pete followed by a Fire spell, burning Pete's behind.

They were cornering Pete onto the docks, and he looked as if he was cowering. He then raised his head and laughed. "How's about a change!" he said, and he rushed to one side. A curtain fell, a bright light, and the next thing they knew they were in the middle of the wharf again, this time the burning building from before was blocking the docks. There was even large will-o-the-wisps everywhere.

"He changed the scenery?" Kirito asked. "Must be utilizing some sort of power to do that." Asuna answered. They ignored the logic behind it, and joined the others as they pressed on.

Present Pete was utilizing the scenery to his advantage, and started commanding the will-o-the-wisps to attack them. While Kirito and Sora were dealing with the flames, Asuna charged at Pete with Donald and Goofy. Past Pete was pretty much running around, his trousers smoking from the flames. Goofy was tossed aside, and Donald and Asuna were having a hard time dealing with Pete themselves.

"Asuna!" Donald cried out, "Let's combine our powers!" "You mean...like a Limit Break?" Asuna questioned. Donald nodded. "Ok, let's go!" Asuna declared.

Asuna and Donald started to combine their energy together, and suddenly, Donald started to light up. At a fast pace, he started to rush around Present Pete, shooting fireworks like crazy at him. Pete was unable to get away from him, and Asuna kept rushing around with Donald, striking her Keyblade at him when necessary. Finally, Donald slammed his staff downward, and a ring of energy sparked around Asuna, making her charge at Pete and sending him flying.

"Now that's some serious magic power!" exclaimed Kirito after he finished one of the will-o-the-wisps. Past Pete merely guffawed at Present Pete, who fell to the ground, pained by the assault. Then he sat up once again. "This scene's no good! Let's try another!" He said, then made another sidestep, another curtain fell, a bright light, and the scene changed again. They were in the house, only it was completely empty of all furniture, and the black hole was in the middle of the room.

"Here we go again!" Sora shouted, and he charged forth with Kirito at Pete. They, along with Asuna, Donald and Goofy kept striking at Pete, who kept getting more and more aggressive. He even started to use the black hole so as to suck the five of them into one spot, making them easy targets.

Past Pete was unable to do any damage to Pete, however he was attempting to roll at him, and that did do something if it hit him. Past Pete kept rolling past his Present, and missing him. Finally, at one point, when he missed again, Sora got annoyed by his lack of accuracy. "Pete, this way!" he shouted, and he utilized his Keyblade to change the course of the rolling Pete to hit his Present hard.

Kirito, meanwhile, decided to go into Valor form, and started to deal with Present Pete hard and fast. Goofy joined in, and kept slamming into Pete with his shield hard. He was unable to go into a Limit Break with anyone yet, still he was proving to be strong. Pete was unable to get away from his fighting, and every fist he swung at him was a miss.

Finally, with one more blade cross, Kirito sent Pete slamming into the wall. Pete skidded down the wall, and fell over again. Finally he got up again. "This won't do! Time for a little more room!" he shouted, and he sidestepped again, and another change of scenery happened.

They were on the landscape where the shrunken town was in, only it wasn't there, and there were several cannons all around the edges. "A little more room, huh?" Kirito examined, "Good. That'll give us more space to deal with you." The five of them charged at Pete for the fourth time.

Pete was now changing his way of fighting this time, by backing off from them while throwing firework balls and bowling bombs at them. He even used the cannon towers to his advantage, and was blasting Donald, Goofy, Kirito and Asuna away from him. Past Pete was useless, and kept charging in, only to get blasted away.

Sora, on the other hand, was actually doing well against Pete's barrage attack. He leapt over the firework balls, ducked under the cannon fire, and kept reversing the bowling bombs back at Pete. He then started to slice and dice at Pete with his Keyblade, and Pete was unable to get Sora out of the pattern.

He slammed to the ground, dealing a shockwave onto Sora, but suddenly he was hit by a barrage of Thunder and Blizzard attacks from Kirito, Asuna and Donald. This gave Sora the opportunity to recover, and make a heavy slash at Pete, causing him to fall to the ground again.

Pete got up once more. "Runnin' low here! Time for the finale!" he said, then he changed the scene once again. They were on the platform once more that was hung by ropes, only they were higher up, and the building that was under construction was no longer there. "Let's end this!" Kirito and Sora proclaimed, and the two, along with everyone else, charged at Present Pete again.

Pete was using his wits this time, because he ground pound the platform, and it shook everyone into the air along with him. However, like Past Pete, he was unable to do anything in the air, making him an easy target for the others.

Pete, though, kept bringing up his magical shield, and not only did it protect him, it kept healing him while he was in the air. The team was starting to wear down, and they didn't know how much longer they could go. Sora and Kirito were the ones that had the most energy.

"We need to finish Pete off, right here, right now!" Kirito proclaimed as he stood next to Sora, "Any suggestions?" "One." Sora answered, "Thing is, I don't know if we can do it right now."

"And that would be?" Kirito asked as he was flung into the air by Present Pete. "A Limit Break." Sora stated, making Kirito look at him questionably, "You and me, Kirito." Kirito wasn't sure about this. Then again, going solo on Pete wasn't working either, and his Valor form was still recharging. Finally he said, "Let's give it a shot!"

Sora and Kirito crossed their Keyblades together, concentrating. Finally, a burst of energy fell around them, and they made their move. They charged at Pete while they were airborne, and Sora handed Kirito his Keyblade. Kirito felt the surge of energy from Sora's power, and started to waylay him with a flurry of attacks. He then tossed the Keyblades to Sora, who started striking him at the other side of Pete. They kept doing this pattern, one after another, striking Pete from every angle.

Finally, at the last moment, the two then took their respective Keyblade, and started to cross every which-way around Pete, piercing him from the top, bottom, sides, everywhere. Their power was fast and effective. They finally landed on the ground, and Pete fell down behind them, beaten to a pulp. The scenery changed back to the wharf again. It was over.

"Now that was a Limit Break!" Asuna cheered as Donald and Goofy were jumping for joy. Past Pete, who was on his back, sat up, rubbing his head. Sora and Kirito looked at one another, smiling. "I think I have a good name for that Limit Break." Kirito said, "Let's call it 'Starwave Stream'." "Sounds good!" Sora agreed, "And let's call that finale 'Cross Storm'." Kirito nodded in agreement. The two high-fived each other.

Just then, three Magic Orbs fell from the sky, coming to Sora, Kirito and Asuna. "That's the Reflect Element!" Yui explained, "That will give you the Reflect spell. It works as a defense and offense attack." "I'll definitely use this!" Sora answered, reaching up to absorb the orb with everyone else.

Pete was getting up to do a surprise attack on Kirito and Sora, but they spun around, slamming their Keyblades at him and causing him to fall back again. "It serves ya right!" Past Pete told him. Present Pete cried in pain, then ran away from them. He then focused hard, and he lifted his hands. The special door he found popped out of nowhere and landed in front of him.

"The Door!" Asuna cried. "Yeah...annnd stay out!" Past Pete shouted as Present Pete went through the door and closed it from behind. "Sora!" shouted Donald. "Yeah, I know!" Sora responded, rushing forward. He waved his Keyblade at the door, and a black keyhole appeared. A light shot out of the Keyblade, and hit the keyhole, locking it. The special doorway then shined brightly, and disappeared. Their mission was a success!

**Chapter 9: Rewards and Forms**

"You did it, Sora!" Kirito shouted as he and Asuna rushed to Sora's side, patting him on the back. "Thanks." Sora responded, "Couldn't have made it this far without your help, guys." "Still, I think maybe you are rubbing a bit of that 'teamwork' spirit onto Kirito." Asuna giggled. "You...really think so?" Kirito asked, confused. Then again, he did feel a lot happier than he was before, and Sora, Donald and Goofy may have made him that way. Maybe there were some benefits from being in a different dimension.

"Would somebody tell me what's been goin' on here?" Past Pete asked irritably, "Who was that creep, anyways?" "Hello?" Sora replied, "That creep was..." but Goofy covered his mouth, muffling the words 'you from the future!'. "Sora, that's a secret!" Goofy told him. Sora remembered that, and stopped talking.

"Secret?" repeated Pete, "What kinda secret? Oh, never mind. Sorry I put you guys through all that trouble." "Yeah, well, just don't make a habit out of it!" Donald told him off, making the others laugh.

"And to show ya my appreciation," Pete continued, "I'll let you pilot my steamboat. Best little craft on the river! My deck hand Mickey's late anyways." Sora, Donald and Goofy looked excited at this. Asuna and Kirito looked to each other, and smiled. It did seem like fun.

They decided to use that steamboat to bring the Cornerstone of Light back up the river again. Sora piloted the wheel, while Donald pulled the rope to sound the steam whistle. The boat went up at a steady beat, smoke balls puffing out of the chimney at the beat.

Kirito had this irresistible urge to start whistling for some reason, and it wasn't a tune he was familiar with (to the audience, it's the whistle tune in 'Steamboat Willie'). Asuna watched Kirito enjoy himself, and couldn't help but join in with the happiness. Something about this old-fashioned steamboat seem so please everyone.

When they got off the steamboat, they used the crane to move the Cornerstone off the raft and onto land. As they did so, Yui saw something sitting on one of the crates on the steamboat. "Guys! Look at this!" she shouted, bringing everyone's attention. They turned to her and saw what she was pointing at. On the crate were two things; a keychain, and a medallion with a picture of a floating lantern on it.

"A new Keyblade!" gasped Sora. "And a Summon Charm!" Goofy added. The group gathered around the two objects. "That's a find!" squawked Donald. Sora looked at them, then he picked up the two objects, and presented them to Kirito and Asuna.

"Kirito, you have the Keyblade." Sora stated, "Asuna, why don't you have this Summon Charm." "You sure?" Kirito asked him. "Course!" Sora eagerly replied, forcing the keychain into Kirito's hand, "You're the only one who hasn't gained a Keyblade in the other worlds, so I'll give you this." "I think that'll work for me." Asuna replied, taking the charm and examining it. "It might come in handy."

"The new Keyblade is called 'Monochrome'." Yui explained, "It'll boost the power of healing items." She turned Asuna and continued, "And that's the Lantern Charm. It'll summon somebody named 'Rapunzel' to you when needed." "Can't wait to meet her." Asuna answered, pocketing the charm.

The group went back to the Cornerstone, and with great effort, they rolled it all the way back to the top of the hill, and set it into place again. When they finished, they gathered around the Cornerstone, feeling proud of what they did. "I betcha the castle's safe now." Goofy stated. "Guess we should head back." Sora told them. Kirito and Asuna nodded in agreement. They wanted to get back somewhere that wasn't as crazy as this world.

"Wait!" Donald cried, "As long as we're here..." "Donald!" the four shouted, stopping him. The temptation to change the past seemed to still linger in Donald's mind, and he tried to say it wasn't. Sora and Kirito ended up grabbing each of Donald's arms, dragging him to their special gate, and threw him into the open doorway. They then walked in after him, and closed the door behind them, making it disappear in a puff of smoke.

Back at Disney Castle, the Hall of the Cornerstone was changing around Minnie, Merlin, Chip and Dale. It suddenly got brighter, and the thorns were disappearing all around them in a bright light.

"The thorns have disappeared!" Minnie stated. "By George! The lads have accomplished their mission." Merlin realized. "Hooray!" cheered Chip. "Let's have an acorn feast to celebrate!" suggested Dale.

Suddenly, the special door behind them started to shake, and flung open as Donald came flying out. Sora, Goofy, Kirito and Asuna walked in after him. Kirito examined his body, saw it returned to normal, and sighed in relief.

"Welcome back!" Minnie called to them, "Because of your bravery, the castle is safe and protected again. Thank you so much for all you've done!" "Good work, you guy!" chimed Chip and Dale in unison. The gang all lined up together in front of them.

"Now boys and girls, I hope you didn't do anything reckless while you were there?" Merlin questioned them. "Of course not!" Donald responded, thumping his chest. Sora, Goofy and Yui all giggled while Kirito and Asuna rolled their eyes.

Suddenly, Donald felt somebody watching them from the door to the throne room, and turned. There, spying on them, was a female version of Donald, who wore a violet ball gown and a tiara with a purple jewel on top.

"Daisy!" Donald cried as he walked up to Daisy as she approached him, "Daisy! I'm back!" "Who?" Sora asked. "Daisy is Donald's very special sweetheart." Goofy answered. "Oh, kind of like mama and papa!" Yui compared, making Asuna and Kirito blush in embarrassment and forcing Yui back into her pocket.

Donald looked happy to see Daisy, but was startled when she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Donald, you forgot about our date again!" she accused him, "You'd better have a good excuse this time!" "But Daisy...I..." Donald stammered, backing away slowly.

"I know it's an important mission," Daisy continued, "but you could at least check in every once in a while. Donald turned to Sora, Kirito and Asuna, who looked every direction except at Donald. "Sora! Kirito! Asuna!" he moaned, then he saw the special door, and made a sneaky chuckle. "Donald!" Merlin said warningly. "Just be a minute..." Donald said, bowing to the wizard.

Donald was about to take off to the door when Daisy grabbed his tail. "Going somewhere?" she asked him sternly. "Of course not!" Donald answered, freeing himself from Daisy's grip, causing her to fall over. "Donald!" Daisy shouted, and she got up and chased after him, while the others laughed as Daisy chased Donald around the room.

"Oh, look!" Minnie said, turning to the Cornerstone of Light. Everybody turned, even Donald and Daisy, to see the already glowing orb start to glow brighter. Sora's, Kirito's and Asuna's Keyblades all started to glow. They looked at one another, and knew what had to be done.

They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the Cornerstone glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the Cornerstone suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

The three Keyblade wielders walked up to Daisy. "Daisy, we need Donald for just a little longer." "We promise he'll come back soon." assured Asuna. "How soon will that be?" she asked them sternly. "Um, well..." Sora and Asuna were muttering a bit, but Donald cut in. "I'll be back soon, Daisy!" he assured her. She then smiled at him, and the two held their hands together.

Suddenly, from their hands, a glowing light appeared, and suddenly two blue swirling orbs flew out from them, and floated in front of Sora and Asuna. "Are these...?" started Sora. "My word, those seem to be new powers for you two." Merlin gasped.

"You mean, they're like the Valor form?" Asuna asked excitedly. "Yes, but those are a different form." Merlin answered. Sora and Asuna looked at each other, nodded, then touched the orbs. Suddenly, their clothes glowed brightly and energy bursted from both of them.

The light vanished to reveal their new forms. Their clothes became blue. Sora's was black and blue, while Asuna's were a deeper blue and white. Blue flames were patterned around Sora's pants and sleeves, while they were on Asuna's waist's and hanging clothes. specks of light hovered around their legs, and blue mist was underneath their feet, and they seemed to float on top of it.

"Wow!" Goofy and Kirito gasped. "Cool!" said Sora, looking at his new form. "So this is what a form feels like!" Asuna exclaimed, spinning around as she floated off the ground. "That's, my child, is called the Wisdom Form." Merlin explained to the two, "These will awaken your magical prowess. Use them wisely."

"Congrats, Asuna!" Kirito congratulated her. "Now I can be at the same level as you." giggled Asuna as she and Sora reverted back to normal. She turned to Donald and Daisy as she said, "I guess it's thanks to you guys we have this. Thank you!" she bowed deeply to the both of them. Donald chuckled a bit, while Daisy smiled at her.

Sora and Goofy walked up to the Queen, Merlin and the chipmunks. "Don't you worry, Queen Minnie. We'll return!" Goofy reassured her. "Please tell the King that we're still looking for him!" Sora asked, "And if you see a man named DiZ, tell him that my friends, Kirito and Asuna, are looking for him."

"I will!" answered the Queen. "See you soon!" chimed the chipmunks. "Think wisely!" Merlin told them. The five of them gathered together, and started to walk back to the Gummi hanger. It was time they journeyed to the next world.

**Man, that was a killer story to write! Took longer than the last one, but it worked out. Anyways, I think I got some twists people will enjoy, like Kirito and Sora's Limit Break, Rapunzel from Tangled become's Asuna's Summon, and of course, Asuna get's the Wisdom Form.**

**If you want to see Kirito, Asuna and Yui in their Retro form, go to the Deviant Art link on my profile**

**I'm planning to do more Limit Breaks, which are Asuna/Sora, Kirito/Asuna, and Kirito/Asuna/Sora. As for Kirito's Summon, I'm stuck on a few, but there could be more. Here are my choices:**

**Tarzan**

**Wreck-it-Ralph (Made by Disney, so it works)**

**Yui in human form with that cool sword she had in SAO**

**Bolt the dog**

**Taran from 'The Black Cauldron'**

**These are some of my ideas, though it you have one, send a comment to me.**

**Next episode, it's time for the Pirates of the Caribbean, and not only is it a bit more normal compared to the other worlds, Kirito might enjoy the darkness of it all. Well, lets see what happens. Leave a comment, and wait for the next update!**


	11. Ep 9: Port Royal! Pirate's Life!

**Warning: Parts of the episode don't take place in KHII, but in the actual movie of 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. Just some moments I wanted to add for kicks.**

**Chapter 1: The Curse of the Pirates**

The Gummi ship had just took flight, soaring away from Disney Castle. "Ok, Yui, any new worlds?" Sora asked the pixie, who was typing away, observing the monitor. "Two of them, actually." she answered, "But both of them are blocked by spacial gates."

"Well, which way do we go?" Donald asked. "I'd say let's go to that one." Kirito answered, pointing to the world towards the right, "I have a feeling something interesting is gonna be there." "Then that's where were heading!" Sora said answered excitedly. "Setting coordinates to the gate," Yui responded, "We should get there soon."

"How do you know there's something interesting there?" Asuna asked Kirito. "Well, its' been interesting all around," Kirito answered lazily, "I just...guessed." Asuna rolled her eyes. The fact that the worlds haven't dull them just yet did make Kirito's answer to be true. Let's hope his instincts were right as they took off towards the next world.

_(Cue opening theme)_

The special gateway they endured was crazy, with tons of floating islands and extreme amounts of Heartless. Still, they made it through, found the keyhole, and opened the gate to the next world.

They were finally able to see the world close up, along with on the monitor. "So what's this place's story?" Asuna asked. "Well, the only info I can get is that it's called Port Royal." Yui answered, "Other than that, it's still a mystery. There isn't enough info on this world, apparently."

"Kirito called it!" Sora proclaimed, making Kirito grin. "Gawrsh, you sure it's safe?" Goofy asked, looking at the new world, "kinda looks dark down there." "Which is why we should go!" Kirito answered, "There's bound to be Heartless there, plus, we need to find the keyhole in this world, and unlock it."

Everybody gathered to the transporter. Yui set up the coordinates, and the gang teleported down to the world. They they appeared, they found themselves in the ramparts of a tall stone fortress, with medieval cannons facing out. There was a large bell underneath a stone archway. It was dark, and there were lit torches on the side of the wall, which had locked steel gates that led into the interior.

They walked up a flight of stairs to the edge of the ramparts and looked at the scenery. "Wow!" squawked Donald. "This place is..." Sora started. "Kinda different." Goofy finished him. They saw the rocky coast, and the dark, open sea. The best words to describe the place was dark and eerie. "I like this place." smirked Kirito. "Why am I not surprised?" Asuna asked sarcastically.

The team was walking back down when they heard the sound of people screaming. They rushed to the wall nearest to where the sound came, and saw a large town down below. There was specks of light, and also some places on fire. "Something's up!" Sora stated, seeing what was happening down below. "Organization XIII?" suggested Goofy. "or the Heartless!" Donald guessed. "Maybe both." Kirito chose. "Only one way to find out." Asuna said, and she led the group down the fortress to the town.

In the harbor of the town, Pete was standing in front of a group of men, and the one leading them was large, with blond hair and a wiry beard. He had on a black hat with a feather on it. He had a black coat with buttons, a brown buttoned up undercoat, a brown belt with silver ornaments over his shoulder equipped with holster, and a golden sash around his waist. He also had dark pants, tan boots, and a brown fingerless glove. He was equipped with a sword. This man was Barbossa, and he was a pirate captain.

"Aztec treasure, eh?" Pete questioned him. "Aye!" Barbossa answered, "And thanks to the curse put on it, we are neither among the livin' nor the dead." "Really?" Pete asked suspiciously, "'Cause ya look like regular pirates to me." "Ah, but in the moonlight..." Barbossa started, then the moon shone upon them, and Pete saw them turn into something interesting.

"Whoa! Now I get what you were sayin'." Pete responded to their sudden transformation, but then he remembered something, and warned them, "Well, if you see two doofuses and a brat holdin' a Keyblade, steer clear. They got a kinda magic that don't belong in this world, see? And nobody knows what it'd do to ya. 'Specially when the moon's showing whatcha really are."

"A match for Barbossa, you say?" questioned the shadowy pirate, reverting back to normal. He did seem intrigued at this bit of news. Suddenly, the five heroes came out of the doors from the fortress, and ran towards the scene. "Hey!" shouted Sora. "Couldn't handle the butt-kicking we dealt to you before, Pete?" Kirito asked as he and the others produced their weapons. Asuna also reverted back to her Oathkeeper again.

"See there?" I knew it!" Pete told Barbossa, "Those are the punks I was tellin' ya about." "Who are you calling punks?" Sora asked angrily, "It's Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, and Asuna to you! And don't you forget it!" "That we won't." replied Barbossa, "And we'll engrave it on your tombstone, to be sure."

"Whoa! I like your style." Pete complimented. _Actually, me too._ Kirito thought. Pete turned to his crew behind him. "Men, half of you stay here and indulge these cullies." he ordered, "The rest, bring me that medallion!" "Aye!" the men shouted, and they split up. Several men stayed there and was gonna deal with Sora, Kirito and the others. Pete also stayed behind to watch.

"Aw, we only get to stomp on a few of you?" Sora moaned. "This is gonna be easy." said Asuna, raising her Keyblade. Barbossa heard them, and chuckled slyly before walking away.

Sora led the group into attacking the pirates, and the clash started. The pirates used their swords, guns, bombs, whatever they carried to fight them. During the fight, the crew noticed something was wrong; they couldn't damage the pirates. No matter how hard they hit them, no matter what magic they used, they would get back up, undamaged.

"It's no use! We can't beat them!" Sora stated as the five of them regrouped once more. "Aye, whaddya expect?" asked one of the pirates. Suddenly, the moon started to shine again, and Sora, Kirito and the others were shocked. The pirates' bodies had suddenly become skeletal, from head to toe, and their clothes became aged with their bodies. "What in the world?!" Kirito exclaimed, seeing the cursed pirates.

"You best be sayin' your prayers!" the pirate warned them. "Hey, watch out! They can see ya!" Pete told them, "Stay away from their magic!" "What for?" asked the pirate. "Weren't you listenin' to me before?" Pete asked exasperatedly.

"Hey, Pete, thanks for the tip!" Asuna thanked the blabbering buffoon, who realized his mistake, "If that's the case, they must be vulnerable to us in this state." "Let's go!" Sora shouted, and they charged into the fray once again.

The battle certainly changed for the better of the five heroes. Their attacks were now getting to them. They kept knocking all of them down into a pile of bones, where they laid lifeless, regardless of their skeletal forms. A couple were coming at Kirito, but he got creative by swinging the net full of cargo that was hanging on the crane at them, sending them flying into the sea. The battle was finished easily.

The group turned to Pete, who didn't look to please at the result. "Hey! This ain't over!" he barked at them, then he turned and ran off. The group put away their weapons as they saw him leave. "If Pete's here, that must mean we have work to do." Sora guessed. "Yep." Goofy agreed, "And that pirate captain looked pretty mean, too." "Man, I'd hate to see him turned into a Heartless." Asuna stated, "And I'm guessing were somewhere in the pirate era of this world."

"Those pirates are pretty good." Kirito stated, "We just have to strike them into some moonlight, and it will be all over for them." "Well, we ARE here..." Donald stated. "What should we do next?" Yui asked them.

They all thought, then Sora asked, "Hey, maybe we can take a pirate ship out for a spin!" Asuna, Yui, Donald and Goofy all looked surprised. Kirito, on the other hand, looked intrigued. "Just kidding!" giggled Sora, causing the three to sigh in relief, and Kirito to frown slightly, "Weren't those guys headed to town?" "Yeah. I think they were looking for treasure." Asuna assumed. They all turned to the bridge that led into town and took off towards it.

"Hey Sora," whispered Kirito, "Are you really interested in riding a pirate ship?" "Somewhat." Sora answered, "Me, Riku and some of my friends would play pirate at times when we were young, so having a chance to really become one would be fun." Kirito nodded in agreement. After reading, watching, and playing pirate games, he found the occupation to be quite intriguing.

**Chapter 2: Captain Jack Sparrow and the Aztec Gold**

The gang charged through the town, dealing with pirates, old and new Heartless. There were ones called Tornado Steps, and some called Cannon Guns. Now that the crew knew how to deal with the pirates, they kept showing them into moonlight so as to defeat them.

As they rounded the corner of a street they saw a long-haired women in a yellow lace dress being carried away by one of the pirates. "Where are you taking me?! Let me go!" she shouted, struggling to get free. At the side steps facing the streets, a man also appeared, one with slicked-back hair, a white shirt and a brown vest.

He saw the woman being carried away. "Elizabeth!" he shouted, "Stop!" He rushed to save her, but was blocked by a bunch of Shadows that came out of the ground. "What are they?" he asked, taking a step back at seeing them.

"It's the Heartless!" Kirito answered, "Watch out!" The five heroes rushed in, stepping in between the man and the Heartless. "We'll deal with them!" Sora told him, "Go! Take cover!" The man nodded in acknowledgement, and ran for cover. The five heroes charged at the swarm of Heartless.

The battle was easy, and they had nothing but Shadows, Soldiers and Cannon Guns to deal with. The team quickly worked together, and struck them all down. When it was over, the man rushed back to meet them once again.

"Well done!" he congratulated them, "My own fencing skills are not to be ashamed of, but I've never faced foes such as that before." "Don't worry, we were all like that before." Asuna responded. "You really think we're that good?" Sora asked him with a cheeky grin. "Don't get a big head from this, Sora." Kirito warned him.

"Did you find your friend?" Goofy asked the man. "I was too late." he growled, "But I must rescue her! Would you help me?" "Of course!" Sora answered before anyone else, "I'm Sora. This is Donald, Goofy, Kirito and Asuna." Each of them either waved or bowed to the man at their introduction. "And I'm William Turner, but call me Will." the man greeted.

"Okay, Will. Let's go!" Sora proclaimed. "Right." Will responded, We've got to get to the docks!" Will led them down the streets to the harbor. There were places where explosives blocked their path, but with a few whacks of the Keyblade, they blew them up. There were even more Heartless do deal with on every corner, but they defeated them fairly easily.

They arrived at the harbor, where they saw pirates' ship sail away from them. "We're too late!" Will said sadly. "Huh?" Sora responded. "Those pirates kidnapped Miss Swann and took her to their ship." Will explained, "Now they've sailed, and I'll never be able to find her!"

"Then she's long gone." said a voice from behind them, "The Black Pearl is nigh uncatchable. Best find yourself another girl, mate." On the deck of a ship next to them was a man, and he looked the part of a pirate. He had a tan, and a mustache with beads hanging from it. His dark brown hair hanged in dreadlocks, decorated with more beads. He wore a red bandana on his head, with another beaded ornament ending in a silver coin. He had on a white loose shirt underneath a black jacket, and were tucked beneath a tan belt and white piece of cloth tied around his waist, which held his scabbard and sword, along with a compass and pistol. He had black pants and brown boots.

"You..." Will addressed, "What are you doing aboard the Interceptor? She's off limits to civilians." "Ah, fortunate that I'm going to commandeer her, then." the man responded, "She'll make a fine pirate ship." "A pirate?!" Sora asked excitedly. "And I presume you have a name to this ship, sir?" Kirito asked sarcastically, smirking a bit.

The man, who was tying something down, lifted his head to see them. "Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please." he corrected him, "No sirs included, savvy?" Sora and Kirito looked at each other. Another pirate captain, only this one isn't as bad as the other guy.

"Take me with you." Will said, "Help me hunt down the Black Pearl and save Miss Swann. I got you out of that jail cell, Sparrow. Do this and your debt's repaid." "You'll have to win fair lady's heart alone, mate." Sparrow replied, "I see no profit in it for me." "Are you just saying that because your a coward, or you don't care?" Asuna asked shrewdly, glaring up at the man. She didn't like his attitude. "Neither of which I will choose, my dear." Sparrow responded, waving a hand as to brush away the question.

"C'mon, captain!" said Sora, ignoring Asuna's words. "Are you sure you can sail this ship, all on your own?" Kirito questioned. Sparrow had to think about the question before hopping onto the boarding line and responding, "You've a point there." He waved them on board and the group went up one at a time.

"Thanks, Sparrow." Will said as he passed him. "CAPTAIN Sparrow." he corrected him. "I'm Sora." Sora greeted the captain, "This is Kirito, Asuna, Donald and Goofy." pointing to his friends down the line.

As Kirito and Asuna passed Sparrow, he put his hand out to Asuna. "Now, my dear, why might I ask you join this ship?" "Why shouldn't I?" Asuna asked him, frowning. "The seas are rather dangerous, and your not the kind of woman I would prefer to sail with." "And what kind of woman would you prefer?" Asuna asked, folding her arms under her chest. "Preferably...one not as young nor as innocent as you." Sparrow answered.

Kirito knew Sparrow would cross the line, but he didn't say anything just because. Asuna whipped her Keyblade out and whipped it at Sparrows face, who quickly parried with his own sword, but barely. "I am not a helpless girl, Sparrow, nor am I weak." she growled at him, "If you dare say anything like that again, I'll skewer you like rotisserie."

She lifted her Keyblade down, and slapped Sparrow across the face, whipping it to Kirito. "I believe I deserved that." he said to Kirito. "Yeah...I don't think you should mess with her." Kirito warned him as Asuna, Donald and Goofy walked passed them, "She can be quite dangerous." "And yet, you fancy her." Sparrow said, straightening himself. "I learned how to not piss her off." Kirito answered, and he walked onto the ship.

"I'm Will Turner." Will added. "That would be short for William, I imagine." Sparrow assumed, "No doubt named for your father, eh?" "Yes." Will responded, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "Well, then, Mr. Turner." resumed Sparrow, "You get us ready to make way. I've some effects to liberate." He then turned and left as Will responded, "Aye-aye! But hurry." "Naturally." Sparrow said absentmindedly.

Sora, Donald and Goofy followed Sparrow down the docking board, while Asuna and Kirito stayed behind. "You really wanna be a pirate?" Goofy asked Sora. "Of course not." Sora lied. Donald watched Sora suspiciously.

"Kirito, I'm not sure about him." Asuna stated bluntly, "He doesn't seem to be a guy to be trusted." "But he's the only one who can guide this ship to wherever that other ship is going." Kirito told her, "Don't worry. If he goes too far, I'll make sure his mind is the only working thing on his body." He walked up to the helm as Asuna watched him, a smile shown across her face.

Meanwhile, Sparrow waved Sora over to him. "What do you make of this Will?" he whispered down to Sora. "I don't know. We just met him." Sora answered. Sparrow started to smile a bit at this news. "Hmm...I think my luck's about to change." he said to himself.

After Sparrow grabbed a few provisions, and Sora bought a few things, such as potions and new weapons for Donald and Goofy, they got onto the Interceptor, hoisted the anchor, and set sail.

Meanwhile, on the Black Pearl, Elizabeth Swann and Barbossa were sitting at the dining table in the captain's quarters, supper was placed on the table.

"You can release me." Elizabeth said sternly, "You have your trinket; I'm of no further value to you." "This is no trinket, missy." Barbossa told her, lifting a gold coin in his hand, "This is cursed Aztec gold. One of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Cortez himself."

"I hardly believe in ghost stories anymore, Captain Barbossa." Elizabeth stated. "That's exactly what I thought." Barbossa responded, "Buried on an Island of Dead what cannot be found 'cept for those who know where it is. Find it, we did. There be the chest. Inside be the gold. And we took 'em all! We spent 'em and traded 'em and frittered 'em away on drink and food and pleasurable company." Elizabeth shuddered to think of what pleasurable company they thought of.

"The more gave 'em away," Barbossa continued as he stood up and walked around the table, "the more we came to realize...the drink would not satisfy, and food turned to ash in our mouths. We are cursed me, Miss Turner. Compelled by greed, we were, but now...we are consumed by it."

"How very sad for you." Elizabeth snapped. Barbossa chuckled as he turned to her. "There is one way we can end our curse." he told her, "All the scattered pieces of the Aztec gold must be gathered and restored to the stone chest. And the blood of every sould who touched a piece o' the treasure must be repaid."

He turned his back to her, looking through the window as he continued, "Miss Turner! For ten years we've searched every league of these waters, every town and village-preying on sailors and settlers alike! 881 pieces we found, but despaired of ever finding the last. All those years, you been safe in your bed, readin' your pirate stories, dreamin' of adventures on the high seas. We've endured torments worse than death itself!"

He turned back to Elizabeth, who started to grow even more scared than before. "But now, thanks to ye, we have the final piece, at last." he said with a smile, "When this medallion is restored to the chest, we'll be free to roam the seas as men. No longer will we be ghosts!"

"A-And the blood that's to be repaid?" Elizabeth stammered. "That's why there's no sense to be killin' ye...yet." Barbossa answered, emphasizing the last word. Elizabeth gasped, then got up and rushed out of the room, and onto the deck of the Black Pearl. There, she was surrounded by the pirates of the ship, only they've become living skeletons. Even the monkey, who came down, hanging from a rope, became one of them.

Elizabeth screamed in fright of what she saw before her. "Ye see," Barbossa said, coming from behind her, "the moonlight shows us for what we really are." As Elizabeth backed away from him, Barbossa stepped into the moonlight, and suddenly his body became a skeleton, too. "We are not among the livin', and so we cannot die." he continued, "But neither are we dead. I've suffered too long! You'd best start believin' in ghost stories, Miss Turner. For, you see, tonight-you're in one!"

He then started to laugh, then popped open a bottle of rum and started pouring it down his mouth. But because he didn't have organs, the flowed down his skeletal body and onto the ground. Elizabeth became absolutely frightened when she saw this, and dashed back into the captain's quarters, and closed the doors just as Barbossa swung the half-empty bottle at the door, and laughed with the crew.

**Chapter 3: Jack's Lesson & The Isle of the Dead**

The trip on the Interceptor lasted for quite a while. During the trip, they dealt with a couple ambushes with some pirates and Heartless. Everybody did their fair share of working the ship while defending it. All the time, Sparrow kept a watchful eye on the compass, to which everyone discovered didn't point North.

"I wonder how he's gonna find the Black Pearl with a compass that doesn't point North?" Asuna wondered. Kirito and Sora thought the same question, and Kirito decided to ask Sparrow, only for him to reply, "We aren't looking for North, now are we?" This confused Kirito even more. Was there something special about that compass he didn't bother telling them?

After the second day, they found themselves still in open waters sailing on a path to which they didn't know. "How long is this gonna take?" sighed Asuna. Sora kept looking back at Sparrow, who was still eyeing the compass.

Finally, he asked, "Why are you so fixated on that compass?" Everybody turned to Sparrow, waiting for his reply. "It'll be she that leads us to the Isla de Muerta, where Barbossa's headed. Savvy?" he answered. "How do you know?" Sora asked. "Ah, lad..." sighed the pirate captain, "He and I once had our eyes on a treasure; Aztec gold. 'Twas hidden on the Isla de Muerta. But he turned traitor and stole my ship."

"So he's after that treasure, then." Kirito presumed. "Treasure's already his." Sparrow replied, "So's the curse upon it." Now they understood how come the pirates were able to become living skeletons. "I've no desire for such treacherous spoils." Sparrow continued, "But I will have back what's mine; the Black Pearl." He resumed his duties on the wheel of the ship, and the conversation ended.

For a long time, it was pretty much silent as they voyaged on. During the next evening, Sparrow was still at the wheel alone, when Kirito came up to him, holding an unopened bottle of rum. "I assume you need a refill." he asked the captain at the wheel. "Aye. That I do." Sparrow answered eagerly, taking the drink and pouring it down his throat. Kirito sat himself down on a barrel and watched the captain at the helm.

"Tell me," Kirito asked, "Just how are you still here when Barbossa took your ship? Shouldn't he have killed you during the mutiny?" "Ah, as a commoner, you would think so." Sparrow replied, "However, that's not rightful in the Pirate Code."

"Pirates have a set of rules?" Kirito questioned. "Aye." the captain responded, "Instead of killing me outright, they marooned me instead on a deserted island, with nothing but a pistol with a single shot, as the law says." Kirito looked at the pistol in his holster. In battle, he never used the pistol. He used throwing knives and bombs, but never the pistol. "Did you use it?" Kirito asked. Sparrow shook his head.

"I saved it, lad." he corrected him. "I managed to stay on that island for three weeks before my escape." "And how did you do so?" Kirito asked. "By wading me self into the waters for three days and nights, then I spotted a couple of sea turtles, roped them together, and made a raft." Kirito wondered if that was possible, but then thought of one small part of his story. "Where'd you get the rope?" Kirito asked him. "Human hair, on my back." Sparrow answered. Kirito flinched at this. He decided to finish questioning him after that.

"Now it be my turn to ask ye some questions." Sparrow told him, "Why's a quiet, soloist young man such as yourself interested in a pirate's life?" Kirito thought on how to phrase his answer before replying, "I guess it's just the idea of being free. Back home, I was adopted into the family when I was very young, and didn't know about it until I was ten. Afterwards, I spent my time playing R...I mean, wandering about everywhere." He kept himself from saying anything about his world. He didn't think MMORPGs existed in the pirate era.

"And I am to presume that at some point in your life, you would have met that young lass there along with that boy and his friends." Sparrow guessed. "Yeah." Kirito answered, seeing Asuna leaning over the side of the ship as she talked to Will, "I met Asuna over three years ago. Sora and the others I met about two weeks ago. During the times when I met Asuna, I was well known as a loner, but I was a powerful swordsman, and I thought I could do things on my own. However, through trial and error, I learned that doing solo was not gonna cut it. I was merely escaping the fact that I didn't want to see people get killed because I was unable to protect them. That did happen to me." Just like back in Olympus Coliseum, he thought of the death of the Moonlit Black Cats guild.

"There is a set of rules for which you must follow in life, Kirito." Sparrow answered, and this was the first time Sparrow addressed him by name, "The rules are a simple one; what a man can do and what a man cannot do. For example, I can drown you. But I cannot bring this ship all the way to the Isle de Muerta on my own. Learning what your rules are in life are what make you strong. Savvy?"

Kirito looked up at him. What I am capable of doing and what am I not capable of doing. Knowing that make me strong? What did that mean. While it's true he did leave his fears of that behind, but he didn't leave all of it behind.

"Land ho!" Donald shouted up at the crow's nest. Everybody looked towards the direction where Donald was pointing at. There, sure enough, was an island. Kirito absentmindedly looked at Sparrow's compass. The needle was pointing straight at it. Guess it did work after all.

They docked themselves alongside a rocky path to a cave, and got off. "You lads and lass wait here." Sparrow told the five heroes, "Young Turner and I will rescue the lady." "Hey! What about us?" barked Sora. "You're to guard the ship, o' course." Sparrow responded, "It's a task given only to the bravest pirates." "You think were suckers?" Asuna asked him, then sighed, "Still, I think we can manage. Fine then." "Guard her well!" Sparrow told them, and he turned to leave before turning to Will and asking, "You ready?" Will nodded, and they dashed along the path towards the cave.

The rest of them gathered onto the ship, and waited. "He was definitely just trying to fast-talk us before," Asuna told the others, "And you guys fell for it." "Technically, I knew what he was doing, but I decided to go with it." Kirito corrected her, "Still, I do think he knows what he's doing. After all, we made it this far thanks to him." "I guess." Sora replied, sitting on a crate, waiting.

They waited for an hour, meandering the deck and the harbor while they were waiting. "What's keeping those two?" Sora asked. "They sure are taking their time..." Goofy noticed. "If Pete's hanging around, there must be Heartless here, too." Sora assumed. "Definitely." Kirito agreed, about to walk off the ship, "Jack and Will aren't used to fighting Heartless. Wanna go check?" The others nodded, and they walked off the ship, and towards the caves.

Meanwhile, Sparrow led Will around to a spot where they had a secluded view of the scene below them. They saw an open area, with gold and trinkets scattered about the room. In the center was a pile of gold, and a large stone chest stood on top, which revealed a plentiful amount of Aztec gold, and Barbossa, who had the monkey on his shoulder, and Elizabeth stood around it. Around the pile, pirates were cheering in finding the last gold coin, along with someone to give blood to it. Pete stood in a corner, fingering through all the gold in the cavern.

"Every last piece that went astray we have returned, save for this!" Barbossa said, pointing to Elizabeth and the medallion in his hand, "And now, the blood will be repaid to free us from this curse forever!"

**Chapter 4: The Attempted Escape**

The five heroes ran down the stone shoreline towards the caves. There were Heartless scattered in every path they took, including Hammer Frames and new winged Heartless called Air Pirates.

As they were about to go further into the cave, the crew heard footsteps, and saw Will running towards them with Elizabeth at his side. "Quick, their after us!" Will warned them, and they turned to see some of the pirates coming at them. "We'll hold them off!" Sora told Will as the group raised their weapons, "Give us a sign when the ship's ready to sail!" "Right! We'll light the signal fire!" Will said.

"Wait, where's Jack?" Kirito asked Will as he left. "We can ask him later!" Asuna responded, "Right now, it's time to slay some pirates!" Kirito looked at Asuna, then at the pirates nearing them, and decided to focus himself on buying some time. The five of them charged in for the fight.

While there was a large space of moonlight in the spot they were in, there were also spots of shade here and there, so the problem of dealing with the pirates was to bring them out of the shady areas and into the moonlight, where they were vulnerable. Not to mention that every time they took one down, there was another one coming.

Finally, after a few minutes of fending off the pirates, Sora looked back at the ship, and noticed smoke coming from it. "The signal!" he shouted to the others, and they turned, saw it, and ran off to it. The pirates were attempting to chase after them, but as they got out of the cave, Asuna and Kirito shot Blizzard and Thunder attacks at them, striking the pirates in the moonlight, and destroying them.

As the crew got onto the Interceptor again, Kirito ran up to Will and repeated, "Where's Jack?" "Well..." Will responded slowly.

_(Flashback) _"And now, the blood will be repaid to free us from this curse forever!" Barbossa said as he approached Elizabeth. Back in the hiding spot, Will got impatient and was about to go in. "No, not yet." Sparrow told him, "We wait for the opportune moment."

"When it's of greatest profit to you?" Will retorted. "May I ask you something?" Sparrow asked, "Have I ever given you reason not to trust me? Stay here, and try not to do anything stupid." He walked pass Will and was about to sneak in when Will grabbed a nearby oar, and smacked it over Sparrow's head, knocking him out, then he proceeded in.

Up at the stone chest, Barbossa reached for Elizabeth's hand, and cut her palm with a knife, rubbing her blood onto the medallion. "Is that it?" she asked. "Waste not." Barbossa responded, and he tilted her hand over the chest as he chanted, "Begun by blood...by blood undone." and forced her to drop the medallion into the chest full of gold.

For a while, there was silence, and Barbossa spread his arms out, waiting to feel the change in his body, but it never came. He looked around, perplexed, then he turned to Elizabeth angrily and grabbed her arm. "You! Maid!" he snapped, "Your father. Was your father William Turner?!" "No." Elizabeth responded simply.

Barbossa looked shocked, then he smacked Elizabeth down the hill of gold, where she tumbled down, barely conscious. "I don't understand!" said one pirate. "What's going on?" asked another pirate. "Who brought this wench to us?" Barbossa questioned the crew. "She said her name was Turner!" responded a pirate.

As the pirates argued, the medallion fell out of the stone chest and down to Elizabeth, who was stirring. She had just grabbed it when Will grabbed her hand. "Hurry!" he said, lifting her up and bringing him back the way he came.

The monkey saw them escape, and pointed it out to Barbossa. "You there!" he shouted to the two escapees, then saw what they were carrying, "The medallion! After them, you ingrates!" The pirates started to pursue them out the room, and through the caves. _(End flashback)_

"...I had to." Will told the five heroes, "Jack's no fairytale pirate. The real ones aren't to be trusted." "You don't have to tell me twice." Asuna responded, "I didn't trust him from the start." She walked away from the others, and up to the stern of the ship and grabbed the wheel. "So, shall we be off?" she asked the rest. "Guess so." Sora answered. "Then let's make our escape!" Will shouted, and everybody got into positions as Asuna brought the ship out to sea.

They had to take down a few pirates that boarded their ship as they proceeded, but it wasn't a big deal. Down in the captain's quarters, Will was wrapping up Elizabeth's cut hand. "Is it true? You gave Barbossa my name instead of yours." Will asked her, "Why choose my name?" "I don't know." Elizabeth responded, looking down at the medallion in her hand.

"Elizabeth...where did you get that?" Will asked, seeing the medallion. "It's yours." she answered, "From that day we found you-drifting at sea." "After all this time..." Will sighed, "I thought I'd lost it. It was a gift from my father...he sent it to me."

Elizabeth handed the medallion over to Will. "I'm sorry." she said as Will looked at it. "Why did you take it?" he asked her. "Because I was afraid that you were a pirate." Elizabeth answered tearfully, "That would have been awful."

Will stood up and walked away from Elizabeth. "Of course..." he realized, "Don't you see? It wasn't your blood they needed...it was my father's blood; my blood. The blood...of a pirate."

On the Black Pearl, the Barbossa was pacing around Jack Sparrow, who upper body was tied by rope. "How the blazes did you get off that island, Jack?" he asked him. "When you sailed away in my ship and marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, with naught but a pistol and a single shot," Sparrow started, "you forgot one very important thing, mate; I'm Captain Jack Sparrow.

Barbossa stopped pacing and looked at Sparrow. "I won't be makin' that mistake again." he responded. "Then what say you to puttin' the past behind us, untying these ropes, and letting me negotiate the return of your medallion, eh? What say you to that?"

"Seein' as how the Black Pearl's mine now, Jack, lettin' you doesn't seem to fall within my interest." Barbossa answered. "Odd," said Sparrow, his voice getting somewhat angrier, "I'm not actually concerned with your interest. Give me back the Pearl!" Barbossa laughed off Sparrow's demands and told the crew, "All right! Lock him in the brig!"

Just as one of the pirates was about to drag Sparrow off, the pirate from the stern shouted, "We're comin' up on the Interceptor. What do we do, Captain?" "Whaddya think, you idiot?" Barbossa responded sternly.

On the Interceptor, everybody was on the top deck, while Asuna was still at the wheel. Elizabeth was looking out to see when she spotted the Black Pearl coming at them. "Will, look!" she shouted, bringing everyone's attention to the incoming ship. All but Asuna gathered next to Elizabeth's side.

"What now?" Donald asked them. "I wonder what Jack would do?" Sora asked. "Something absolutely crazy." Kirito responded with a smile. "Or maybe he would just run for it." Will guessed. "Sounds good to me!" Sora agreed, but he was stopped by the sudden shaking of their ship. The Black Pearl was firing cannonballs at them. Everybody tumbled around the ship. Asuna struggled to hold on tight to the wheel. Will fell overboard. "Will!" Elizabeth shouted, looking down below. "Get down!" Kirito shouted, grabbing Elizabeth and shoving her down to the ground. "Everyone hit the deck!" Goofy cried as another cannon blast knocked the ship around again, forcing everyone, even Asuna, to fall to the ground.

Suddenly, Sora noticed the medallion on the ground, and picked it up. "We're just gonna have to fight!" he declared to the others. "Sounds good to me." Kirito responded, whipping out his Oblivion, "Asuna, take us around!" "You got it!" Asuna replied, reaching for the wheel again and turning the ship towards the Black Pearl, ready for a fight. "Everyone! Ready the cannons!" Kirito ordered to the two. "Aye, aye!" They shouted, and the group scattered to find stuff to put into the cannons.

As they got along side the Black Pearl, pirates swung from ropes onto the Interceptor. Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald and Goofy all brought their weapons out, and started to attack the enemy. The battle against the pirates were crazy, and they were happening around the ship.

The Black Pearl was doing its' own damage by shooting cannonballs onto the deck, nearly taking the heroes out. Kirito retaliated by firing one of the cannons, and pushing the Pearl away from the Interceptor. Just as he did so, he heard's Jack Sparrow's voice cry, "Stop blowin' holes in my ship!" "Jack?" Kirito asked, surprised, then he detected a pirate coming right behind him, and clashed swords with him.

Sora, meanwhile, was dealing with a couple of troublesome pirates, who kept getting out of the moonlight. One of them struck Sora hard, and it relinquished him of the medallion. One of the pirates grabbed it, and started to go back to the Pearl. "Guys! He's got the medallion!" Sora shouted to the others. Asuna saw him, and aimed a Blizzard attack at him, freezing him in his place.

She was about to go in when three pirates impeded her path. They stepped in closer as she backed off, looking at the three. "Guess it's time I use it." she said, then she focused so that her clothes started to glow, and shouted, "_Wisdom!_" Her uniform went into Wisdom form just as the pirates were about to strike. She quickly dashed away from them, and she started to see just how quick she was in this form.

She then smiled at the pirates, who looked somewhat surprised, and started firing well-aimed energy shots from her Keyblade at them, shooting them into the edge. She kept gliding from side to side as she fired, leaning and twirling as she did so.

"Now for some magic!" Asuna declared, and started firing Blizzard attacks at them, finishing with a barrage of homing ice shards, knocking them out. "Nice!" she complimented herself, then she saw the pirate she froze before started to move again. "No you don't!" she shouted, and she used Fire spell as she charged at the pirate, knocking him out and grabbing the medallion.

"Sora!" she cried, waving the medallion in the air. Sora gave her a thumbs up, and knocked out the pirate he was dealing with. Kirito was slashing down two more pirates when he saw Asuna spinning around, producing Thunder attacks on a group of pirates, sending them into the air.. "Man, that sure works for long range." he said quietly as he watched his girlfriend work. He turned to the cannons, shot them at the Pearl again, turned back at the pirates Asuna was dealing with, and dashed in. He leapt up and went into a flurry of slashes, taking out the pirates. "You know, I could have finished them!" Asuna told him as he came down. Kirito only shrugged as Asuna reverted back to normal.

Once they knocked out every pirate that came on board, the crew shot a multiple amount of cannon fire at the Black Pearl, sending it smoking. "Hooray!" shouted Donald. "We beat the pirates!" Sora said proudly. "Well, did you now, laddie?" said a voice from behind them.

They whipped around and saw Barbossa with more pirates, and Elizabeth and Jack Sparrow at their mercy. Sparrow merely chuckled in embarrassment when they saw him part of the captives. The group looked around, and saw they became surrounded. Pete was part of the crew, too. "Now then, I'll be having back that medallion." said Barbossa, pointing at the medallion in Asuna's hand. He walked forward to take it, but the group took a fighting stance. "Unless it's more important than their lives?" Barbossa questioned them.

Suddenly, the monkey came from nowhere, and stole the medallion from Asuna. He then leapt over onto Barbossa's shoulder, and gave the gold to him. "Why thank you, Jack." he thanked. "Your welcome." Sparrow answered. "Not you. We named the monkey 'Jack'." Barbossa corrected him as the monkey grinned. "Ha, ha. Very amusing." Kirito said in a sarcastic tone.

"Barbossa!" called out a familiar voice. Everyone turned to see Will standing on the opposite edge of the boat, a gun raised at Barbossa. "She goes free!" he shouted, meaning Elizabeth. "Go ahead boy-shoot! We can't die." Barbossa warned him. "Please don't do something crazy..." whispered Sparrow.

"You can't..." Will responded, redirecting the gun to his head, "but I can." Everyone looked shocked at this. "...like that." Sparrow sighed. "Who are ye?" questioned a bemused Barbossa. Sparrow was about to intrude when Will answered, "My name is Will Turner! My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner! His blood runs in my veins!" "Eh?!" said a shocked Barbossa. "On my word, do as I say," Will warned the pirates, "or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker." "He's as crazy as Jack." whispered Kirito.

"Name your terms...Mr. Turner." Barbossa asked. "Release Elizabeth!" ordered Will. "Yes, we got that." Barbossa replied, "Anythin' else?" "Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, and Asuna, too! Set them free as well!" Will added. "Is that it then?" Barbossa asked him. Sparrow was looking desperately at Will. "Leave now!" Will ordered. Sparrow looked defeated.

"Agreed." Barbossa responded with a bow, "Leave we shall...but the Heartless stay!" Suddenly from behind, the heroes heard Pete's laugh. They turned to see him knock Will out, and carry him away. They were about to give chase when Air Pirates blocked their path to him. "No fair!" Sora shouted. Kirito was about to charg in, but he was hit from behind by an Air Pirate, and knocked out. Everything else was nothing but a blur.

**Chapter 5: Trusting Pirates and Retaliation**

When Kirito came around, he found his arms bound to his body by rope, and leaning next Asuna, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Sparrow and Elizabeth, who were also tied with him. He looked up the stairs and saw Pete's and Barbossa's faces looking down at them. How could he be so careless as to get himself knocked out like that? He glared up at the two enemies.

"Good work, Barbossa!" Pete told the captain, "Who knew it'd be this easy?" "Piss off!" Asuna growled. "Barbossa, you coward!" Elizabeth shouted. "That's the last time I trust a pirate!" Sora stated. Kirito looked at Sparrow, who looked calm, yet ashamed at the moment.

"The powder kegs are ready, Captain!" shouted a pirate from above. _Powder kegs? _Thought Kirito, then he came to the horrible realization of what they were doing. "Then I bid ye farewell!" Barbossa told the tied up crew. He and Pete walked off away from the door, and they heard footsteps from above that told them that the rest of the crew was leaving. After a while, no footsteps.

"What are we gonna do?!" cried a worried Donald. "We'll be blown to smithereens!" Goofy warned everyone. "Sorry, guys." Kirito moaned, people noticing he was awake, "I got careless, and I let myself get like this." "It's not your fault, Kirito." Asuna told him, "We were all tied up like this, so don't blame yourself." "Yeah, now we just need to find a way to free ourselves from these ropes." Sora told him, struggling to break free of the ropes.

"Why struggle, mate?" Sparrow asked them, "A pirate knows when to surrender." "Are you serious, Jack?" Sora gasped. "Your average pirate, anyway." Sparrow added. Kirito felt the unsnapping of ropes around Sparrow's body, and his restraints came off of him, and he sat up. Kirito was surprised until he saw the knife in Sparrow's hand.

"First, we've got to see to the gunpowder." Sparrow continued, "I'm not about to lose this ship!" "I still don't plan to trust pirates again." Sora told him. "I never trusted them from the start!" Asuna proclaimed. "Wise policy, lad and lass." Sparrow responded.

Suddenly, Kirito rolled away from everyone, and then he shouted, "_Fire!_", producing flames around him, burning the rope. He broke free, and stood up. "I'm not planning to trust pirates, either." he stated, brushing his clothes, "But I will trust Jack for the time being." "But he's a pirate!" Asuna cried, flabbergasted. "And I'm a Beater." Kirito replied, silencing Asuna, "You trust me, so why not trust Jack?" Asuna looked somewhat ashamed. He still keeps the title of a Beater in SAO, which is a Beta Tester and a cheater. Of course he had similarities to a pirate.

Kirito turned to Sparrow. "I think we should go on ahead and remove the kegs. I'm sure the others can free themselves like I did." "Then you lead the way, lad." Sparrow told him. The two rushed up the stairs and onto the deck. There were Heartless everywhere, and there were five powder kegs in total. "Jack, cover me!" Kirito told him as he went into Valor form, "I'll send those kegs flying." "Usually, I would incline to remind you that I'm the captain and that you can't order me." Sparrow said, raising his sword, "However, this is a rarest of opportunities for you." Kirito smiled at Sparrow, then went to work.

While Sparrow kept the Heartless at bay, Kirito went to work by running all around the ship, taking out all of the kegs. At one point, a couple of Air Pirates were about set one off, however Kirito ran in just in time to send it and the Heartless flying, making the keg explode in the air, destroying the Heartless. They had just got them all removed when Sora, Asuna and the gang got above deck.

"All clear!" Kirito proclaimed, reverting back to normal and putting his Keyblade away. Asuna walked up to Kirito, and hugged him. "Sorry for acting like that, Kirito." Asuna told him, "I forgot you and Sparrow are a lot alike." "It's ok, Asuna." Kirito replied, "Truth be told, I don't fully trust Sparrow either. But at least I trust him more than Barbossa." Asuna smiled at this gesture. Sora, Donald and Goofy all grinned as they watched them.

Sparrow, meanwhile, rushed to the wheel, and grabbed ahold of it. "That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship." he growled, "But I'll be havin' her back soon enough."

"Give us our orders, Captain Jack Sparrow!" Kirito asked him. "Alright, you worthless piles of slobs!" Sparrow shouted, "Set the sails! Make wind towards Isle de Muerta! First Mate Kirito, keep the crew in check!" Kirito looked surprised at Sparrow calling him First Mate, but he made a broad grin, and turned to the crew. "Well, you heard him. Get to work!" he shouted. "Aye!" everyone shouted, and they scattered. Sparrow pulled out his compass, and turned the ship towards where the needle pointed, to the Isle de Muerta.

When they arrived, they got ashore, and Sparrow turned to Elizabeth. "You stay with the ship, lass!" he told her. "I'll do no such thing!" she responded angrily, "Will could die in there." "Dear William is fine. Trust me." assured Sparrow.

"I am not a fool, Jack." Elizabeth warned him. "Then trust me instead!" Sora said. "And me as well." added Asuna. She looked at everyone except for Sparrow. "Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy-bring Will back safely!" she told them. They all nodded in response, then Sparrow led the crew to the caves. "Shall we be off then?" he asked the crew. "We shall." Kirito answered, and they charged in.

The caves were simple to get around, especially with Sparrow in the lead. The pirates that intruded their path were not so fortunate to see them. With all the moonlight throughout the caves, defeating the pirates was easy, even if they tried doing surprise attacks on them everywhere.

Meanwhile, in the room full of gold and the stone chest, the pirates gathered around the hill, witnessing Barbossa with Will next to the chest, Jack the monkey sitting along side Barbossa. Pete was leaning against the wall, witnessing their ceremony.

"Now, let's be tryin' this again!" Barbossa told the crew, "The last of the Aztec treasure has been returned." He pointed a knife to Will's throat as he continued, "And now, the blood will be repaid to free us from this curse forever! This time for sure!" The pirates cheered as Barbossa forced Will' head over the box, ready to slit his throat.

"Ahoy! Treasure, mateys!" Sora shouted as he, Kirito and Sparrow led the crew into the room. "Not possible." gasped Barbossa. "Not probable!" Donald corrected, "We're alive and we're pirates!" The group sound off.

"Captain Jack Sparrow!"

"First Mate Kirito!"

"Sora!"

"'_sigh'_ Asuna!"

"Donald Duck!"

"Goofy, too!"

"So you want to play pirate?" Barbossa asked amusingly, "Best save the playacting for the nursery." "Who said we were playing?" Kirito asked. "After them!" Barbossa shouted to his crew, and they charged at them as the heroes were ready for a battle.

**Chapter 6: Vs. Barbossa**

The group split up as they took on the pirates. They were easy to fight against, especially since Asuna and Sora used their Wisdom forms, and started taking them down effortlessly. Asuna was taking down a couple of pirates when she turned and saw Jack the monkey attempting to surprise her. She flinched at its' skeletal form, then she glared back at it calmly. "_Thunder!_" she shouted, and she sent a bolt of lightning onto the monkey, frying it and causing it to fall unconscious. "That's for stealing from me." she told it.

While Barbossa was dealing with Sparrow, Kirito rescued Will from the hill, but was intruded by three pirates. Will picked up a large pole, and rammed it right through the three pirate's bodies, them howling in pain. Will then pulled out a grenade, lit it, and shoved it into the skeletal body of the middle pirate. As he tried to take it out, Kirito shoved the pirate out of the moonlight, so that his body turned to normal again, and the bomb was still inside him. "No fair!" he whined, then as Kirito and Will ran away, the trio blew up. "You're a pirate. Don't talk about fairness." Kirito replied to the dead pirates.

After a while, Sora had just taken down the last pirate. "No more playacting now!" he shouted. "Thank you, everyone." Will told them. Asuna gave him a thumbs up. "Uh, where's Jack?" Goofy asked. "There!" Kirito shouted, pointing at the place near the corner of the room, where Barbossa and Sparrow were clashing swords. Their duel was fierce, neither side giving an inch.

"Jack! Get him!" Sora shouted to Sparrow. "Take him out, Captain!" Kirito shouted. Sparrow looked at the boys for only a second, then he felt a sword pierce right through his chest, where it got stuck. "Jack!" Sora and Kirito shouted. "You're a fool, Jack Sparrow." cackled Barbossa.

Sparrow stumbled back a few steps, then he was bathed in the moonlight, and suddenly, he became a living skeleton like the pirates! Everyone gasped at this turn of events. "That's interesting." Sparrow said, looking at his body. "How did he..?" questioned Asuna, but then she noticed him flipping a gold coin through his fingers, and she turned to the stone chest, realizing the truth. "I couldn't resist, mate." Sparrow said to Barbossa. He had taken one of the Aztec coins. "That sly dog." muttered a grinning Kirito.

Barbossa looked angrily at the pirate before him, then turned to the room. "Show yourself, Pete!" he shouted, "The tide has changed." Pete walked into the room from the entrance, and stared at the scene. "See? I told ya you'd be needin' ol' Pete!" he said. He then put fingers in his mouth and whistled. Then from behind him, a lizard-like Heartless appeared out of nowhere, as if it camoflauged itself to the wall. It was green skinned, and its' tail ended with something that looked like a lantern.

"That's a Illuminator!" Yui shouted, poking her head out of Kirito's pocket. "What is that?" questioned Will, seeing Yui for the first time. "Yui." Asuna answered him, "Our little daughter." Before he could questioned again, Sora asked, "What can it do?" "It can't attack to my knowledge, but it can suck all light!" Yui explained, "You need to take it out so as to bring light back up again."

"In the darkness, Barbossa is invulnerable." Kirito remembered, seeing the lizard crawl on the wall next to Barbossa, it's eyes glowing. He turned to Will and ordered, "Go hide somewhere. We'll take care of this!" Will nodded, and ran off as Sparrow regrouped with the others. They were ready to take on Barbossa and the Heartless.

Just as they were prepared, the Heartless absorbed all the light, and everything turned to darkness. Barbossa leapt into the darkness, where they couldn't see him. "We need to find that Illuminator!" Sora proclaimed. Everybody was keeping on their toes, searching. Finally, Asuna saw a pair of gleaming eyes. "There!" she shouted, and she dashed for the wall where the Heartless was at, and with a few strikes, she knocked it out.

The moment the lights came back on in the room, Kirito noticed Barbossa coming from behind Sora, and he leapt up and parried his slash. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, leave him to me and Jack!" Kirito proclaimed, "Fight off Pete before he brings in more of those critters!" "You got it." Sora answered, and the trio, along with Asuna, charged at Pete, who didn't look like he learned his lesson from last time.

Kirito and Sparrow were dueling with Barbossa hard and strong, pushing him back. However, they were making sure they kept a watchful eye on where they pushed him, since he was invulnerable in the shadows. They knocked him into a pile of rocks, and he looked up at Sparrow and Kirito. "So what now, Jack Sparrow?" he asked, "Are we to be two immortals locked in an epic battle until judgement day and trumpets sound?" "Or you could surrender." Sparrow suggested.

"Well, at least there be one man among us that is sure to be dead." Barbossa said, looking at Kirito, "You really think you can defeat the great Barbossa, boy?" He raised himself and struck at Kirito, who blocked it. "You're right I can't beat you alone, Barbossa." Kirito responded, "There's a set of rules that I go by that say so." "Aye, and what would those rules be?" Barbossa asked through the clashing of their swords in their duel.

"That's there are things a man can do, and a man cannot do." Kirito responded, making a horizontal slash at Barbossa, who backed away a few steps, "For example, I can fight you. But I cannot kill you. However..." He reached his hand back, and Sparrow took ahold with both of his. He spun Kirito around as Barbossa made a leaping slash, but as Kirito came around, he struck his gut, and set him flying into the moonlight above. "...if I'm with other people, they can make up for the things I cannot do..." Kirito continued, placing both of his feet onto Sparrow's shoulders, and leaped up at Barbossa, striking his back with his Keyblade, making Barbossa gasp in pain. "...Isn't that why a pirate must have a crew to work with, so he can face any difficulty, no matter what?!" Kirito shouted. He landed back onto his feet as Barbossa hit the ground. "The same goes for me." Kirito stated, "On my own, I am limited. But that's why I have friends who will help me! We will defeat you, Barbossa, that we swear!" Asuna, Sora, Donald and Goofy all looked back at Kirito after hearing his words, surprised but not complaining.

"Jack!" Kirito shouted, turning to the pirate next to him. "That was a pleasurable speech you made there." Sparrow replied, "But let's save the talking for later, mate." "Right." Kirito nodded, and the two charged at Barbossa, who stood up. The trio became locked in combat again, Sparrow and Kirito having the upper hand. Barbossa swung his blade at them, but Kirito pinned it down with his foot. Barbossa reached for his gun. Kirito kicked it high into the air. Sparrow came around and slashed him hard, knocking him away. Then Kirito went into Valor form, and started to do a flurry of slashes onto him, finally smiting him to the ground, where Barbossa laid somewhat dazed. The battle looked in their favor.

Meanwhile, Sora, Asuna, Donald and Goofy all were backing Pete back to the exit. Will joined their side. Pete could easily tell he was outmatched, and the battle against Barbossa didn't end well. "This ain't over!" Pete shouted, and he turn and ran off.

While Barbossa was getting to his feet again, Sparrow slit his hand, placing blood on the medallion he stole and tossed it to Will, who caught it as he dashed up to the stone chest. "Right! Care to surrender, Barbossa?" Sparrow asked the worn captain. "Simply say yes, and we'll leave you alone without a worry." Kirito said amusingly. Barbossa lifted himself straight up, then he drew his sword, showing his answer. "Well, enough of this, then..." sighed Sparrow, dropping his sword as Kirito put away his Keyblade. Then, for the first time Kirito saw, Sparrow drew his pistol, and pointed it at Barbossa. "What do you say we call it-a draw?" Sparrow asked him.

Barbossa looked at Sparrow as if he was doing something stupid. "Jack, how many times do I have to tell ya...?" he asked him, but he was cut off by the sound of Sparrow firing his gun at him. It went straight through Barbossa's chest. Barbossa started to laugh. "Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot." he said to him.

"He didn't waste it." Will called out, and Barbossa turned to see him standing next to the chest, holding a bloody knife in one hand, and he dropped the two medallions into the chest with the other.

The moment the two coins hit the chest, Barbossa felt something. He looked down and saw blood, actual blood pour from the gunshot wound, and looked at Sparrow and Kirito. "I feel...cold." he gasped, then he fell over, dropping a green apple, where it rolled down next to him. Barbossa was dead. The two men only stood there, looking at the dead man that they fought against.

**Chapter 7: Set Sail to a New World**

Everybody walked out of the cave, talking about how well they did in the battle against the pirates. Asuna tapped Kirito's shoulder, and he turned to her. "You know, about that thing you said to Barbossa..." she recalled, "I would have never thought something like that would come out of you, the solo swordsman." "Well, I guess I learned the rules well." Kirito said, staring straight ahead. "And who taught you those rules?" Asuna asked. "Jack told me." Kirito answered, making Asuna stop in her tracks, shocked. "Jack did?" she asked herself, staring at the pirate that walked with them, "Well, I guess that pirate is good for something." She ran to catch up with the crew again.

They got out of the cave and walked to the Interceptor and the Black Pearl, which floated in the opposite shore of them. "What now, Jack?" Will asked Sparrow. "Whatever I want, now that the Pearl is mine again." Sparrow answered. The two looked at the Pearl before Will said, "That she is. Thank you, Jack." He reached out to shake his hand, but Sparrow recoiled, putting his hands over his head. He looked up at Will, and saw he misread his gesture. "I didn't want ye hittin' me again, mate."

"Hey, Jack-good luck." Sora told him. "And remember to be good!" Donald added. Asuna walked up to him, and Sparrow looked somewhat afraid to be hit by her as well. Instead, Asuna said, "Hey Jack, thanks for telling Kirito something, and...sorry for my behavior. I still don't trust you fully, but I can trust you as a friend." Kirito and Yui, who popped out again, smiled at Asuna's change in personality towards Sparrow.

Sparrow looked as if he was being tricked by this sudden sign of kindness. "I'm off." he said to them, and he started to back away slowly. He turned to see Elizabeth come off the ship towards him, and smiled. He opened his arms, but once again he misread it again. "Will!" Elizabeth cried, rushing past Sparrow and into Will's arms, where they hugged. Sparrow looked back at them, then looked towards the Pearl, which was his true love.

The five heroes looked as Elizabeth and Will hugging, and Asuna and Kirito couldn't help but join in by hugging each other's shoulders. "Good for them." Sora said. "Uh-huh!" agreed Goofy. Kirito looked at Sora, and noticed something.

"Hey, Sora, how come your face is all red?" He asked him. "What? It is not red!" Sora retorted, trying to cover his face. "Aw, I know who you're thinking about." Donald said amusingly, and he and Goofy chuckled at Sora as his face now went red in embarrassment. Kirito, Asuna and Yui couldn't help but chuckle with them.

Suddenly, the compass in Sparrow's hand flashed, startling everyone. Sparrow opened it up, and it started to glow a bright light and float. That was the signal for the Keyblade wielders to get to work. They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the Cornerstone glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the Cornerstone suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

As the light vanished, a new Keyblade keychain fell from the sky and into Kirito's hands. It was a red chain, with what looked like the Aztec gold medallion on the end. "That Keyblade is called 'Follow the Wind'." Yui explained. "Take it, Kirito. You deserve it." Sora said to him. Kirito smiled, and pocketed the Keychain, deciding to put it on his secondary Keyblade in his Valor form later.

Sora then looked down at Donald as he said, "You know...for a minute there, I was afraid we were gonna lose Donald to the curse of the treasure!" "Yup. Me, too." chuckled Goofy. "WHAT?!" squawked Donald, and he chased Sora and Donald off into the caves again. Asuna laughed as he ran after them.

Kirito turned to Sparrow and asked, "Permission for your first mate to go on a temporary leave of absence, Captain?" "Permission granted." Sparrow answered, "Best be on your way then." Kirito waved at Sparrow as he dashed to catch up with everyone, prepared to join with them on their next adventure.

**Well, that was a good story to write. Kirito did have his spotlight in this story, and I added moments of my own choosing from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie into this story. Not bad work, don't you think?**

**As for the next story, it's off to Agrabah! I'm not sure how Kirito and Asuna will set in this episode, since it takes place in Aladdin: the Return of Jafar, and they don't even know Iago nor of what he's done. Still, I'll think of something, or maybe you guys could tell me what would be a good idea. Leave a comment, and wait for the next episode!**


	12. Ep 10: Agrabah! A Second Chance!

**Sorry it took a while. I was on a bit of a brain fritz here, so I didn't write a story for a while. Still, I am back, and this story is ready for viewers to read. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Polly Wanna Second Chance?**

"WOOOHOO!" Sora shouted as Donald steered the ship through the new gate that led to their next destination. It was as if it was a raceway, and there were plenty of Heartless that were built for speed there, including a big one that was straight next to them. For once, Asuna was at the controls, maneuvering the rotating turret on the ship, and she was doing really well at this. Kirito, meanwhile, was trying to observe Donald's way of controlling the ship, but he was way to interested in where they were flying through. To him, it reminded of some sort of game he once played, which had fast, floating racing vehicles.

"We're almost out!" Yui cried, watching the monitor, "Just a little bit more!" "Gun it, Donald!" Sora shouted. "You got it!" He replied, pushing the throttle forward, and aiming the ship high. It went up into the sky, passed through the keyhole, and out into space again.

"Whew! That was fun!" Sora laughed. "Gawrsh, you showed those Heartless who's boss, Asuna." Goofy complimented. "I try my best." Asuna said, turning to Kirito, who smiled back at her.

"Sora, Goofy, look!" Donald shouted, pointing at the monitor. Everyone looked up and saw the new world they were going to go to. By guess, Kirito assumed that the world took place in the Arabian era. "It's Agrabah!" Sora stated. "We made it back." Goofy said excitedly. "You guys familiar with this world?" Kirito asked them. "We sure are," Sora answered, "Some friends of ours are here in this world, and they are really cool. One of them is even a genie!" "A genie?" Asuna repeated, "As in...that mystical being in a lamp that grants three wishes to whoever rubs the lamp?" "Uh-hu!" Donald answered.

"It seems like this world takes place much in the storyline of the Arabian Nights." Yui explained, tapping at the computer. "That's quite a tale to make a world out of." "Well, let's go already." Sora proclaimed, grabbing Kirito and bringing him over to the transporter in excitement. "I wonder how Aladdin is going?" Goofy asked. "Let's go!" Donald answered as he and Asuna walked over to the transporter. Yui set the coordinates, and the group teleported down into world below.

_(Cue Opening theme)_

When they appeared, the gang looked around. This place was definitely Arabian style. The architecture of the town, the desert landscape, the heat, everything looked Arabian. "Wow, what a place." Asuna gasped, looking all around.

They decided to walk around the town, looking around. "Agrabah! We made it!" cheered Donald. "Gawrsh, I wonder how Aladdin 'n' Jasmine are doin'?" Goofy asked. "I assume they're your friends?" Kirito asked Sora, who nodded with a grin. "Aladdin is someone we fought together with." Kirito explained, "And Jasmine is one of the Princesses of Light." Kirito and Asuna were told about the Princesses of Light. So far, the only one they actually met was Belle in Beast's Castle.

"Hey, maybe Riku's with them!" Sora guessed. "Yeah, and the King!" Goofy added. "Maybe even DiZ." Asuna suggested. "Only one way to find out." Kirito concluded. Sora, Donald and Asuna took the front of the group as they wandered about.

"Keep dreaming, you four!" scolded Donald. "C'mon, Donald, you were thinking the same thing." Sora told him. "No I wasn't!" denied Donald. "Aw, try to show some optimism." Asuna suggested to him.

Behind the three, Goofy and Kirito were following when they heard flapping wings. They turned to see a red parrot with a yellow beak flying towards them. It looked at the both of them as it circled them. Kirito was wondering why it was circling them, but Goofy looked nervous. "Uh-oh," he said so his voice could be heard by the others, "it's uh...um... It's Iago!" Everyone else turned to see the parrot flying in front of the two. "Who?" Asuna asked. "The enemy!" Donald squawked as he and Sora produced their weapons and charged at the parrot, who looked frightened.

"Wait! You got me all wrong." he squawked as he stopped Donald and Sora. Kirito and Asuna were surprised to how well he spoke. "You're Iago all right!" Donald accused him. "No! I mean, it's not the old me." defended Iago, "I turned over a new feather. I'm legit! No more scams. Promise!"

"Bet that's your new scam." Sora stated, not convinced with Iago's words. "Ya gotta believe me!" Iago plead, flapping in front of the unconvinced Keyblade wielder.

Just then, Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket, and flew in front of Iago, surprising him as she observed him. She looked at him from every angle. Finally, she said to the others, "Well, I believe he might be telling the truth...but I'm not 100% sure." "Oh, thank you, miss, uh..." Iago started. "Yui." the pixie replied, "I'm Yui. I'm daughter to Asuna and Kirito." She pointed to her 'parents'.

"How can we be sure you can be trusted?" Sora questioned him. "I was stuck inside that lamp with Jafar. Remember?" Iago recalled, flying to the staircase near to them to land, "Well, I finally escaped. But then some things happened and..." He turned his back to them, and looked down in shame. Kirito watched his expression closely. He did look sincere with what he was saying.

"So. Free as a bird, huh?" scoffed Sora. "Have fun!" mocked Donald. "Hey, take it easy on him." Asuna intruded, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "Gawrsh, fellas. He looks pretty sad." Goofy noticed.

"What do you think, Yui?" Kirito asked her. "I think maybe the boys should give him a chance." Yui responded, "He does feel sympathetic." Iago turned to them, seeing all the support he was getting from the group. He flew over and landed into Goofy's hands as he said, "I wanna apologize to Aladdin and Jasmine. Could you guys maybe put in a good word for me?" "Sure, we can do that, can't we?" Goofy answered. "Maybe..." Kirito answered slightly, "But you should tell them that yourself." "I-I'll try." Iago stammered, looking a bit nervous at the idea.

Suddenly, he looked to their side, and he saw Heartless appearing around them. "Watch out!" he shouted, and the group pulled their weapons out, ready to face them. "They're Luna Bandits!" Yui cried, diving back into Kirito's pocket. Everyone looked at what opponents they were gonna face, and then they charged at all sides.

The battle was rough, and the opponents were coming one after another. They kept fighting on and on, Sora, Kirito and Donald on one end, Goofy and Asuna on the other. Kirito entered his Valor Form, and started to use his new Keyblade, Follow the Wind.

It turns out that the items and munny the Heartless dropped seem to attract to him thanks to the Keyblade. This wasn't the first time he experienced this, for they somehow attracted to him before, but this seemed to be a stronger attraction. Sora, Asuna and Donald all had this power, too. Is it because they were in the different dimension? Does getting stronger in this world give you new powers?

After a while of slaying Heartless one after another, the team regrouped again, and they were still surrounded by Luna Bandits. "Aw, where are they all coming from?" Sora asked exasperatedly. "Maybe Pete's in this world." Asuna assumed. "Iago, watch out!" Kirito shouted to the parrot as two Luna Bandits came at him. He was at the steps, but flew off in a panic as they closed in. He flew wildly around, yelling, knocking pots and crates down at the Heartless, giving the gang an opening. "This way!" Sora declared, and he led the group out through the streets, with Iago flying behind them.

They hid themselves in what looked like an old shack that was suppose to be a peddler shop. Iago flew to a tall part of the room, turning away from the others and looking to see if the coast was clear. "Aw, we'd've been goners if Iago hadn't helped us." Goofy stated, causing Iago to look at them, "Ain't that right, fellas?" "You bet." Kirito agreed. Yui nodded in agreement.

"I guess we owe you one." Sora told the parrot. "Perfect!" Iago answered, flying over onto Asuna's shoulder. "But you'll have to win over Aladdin and Jasmine yourself." Sora continued, "Be on your best behavior, got it?" "Yeah, I got it." Iago responded. "Don't worry." Asuna told him, "With any luck, they'll believe in you."

"Where IS Aladdin, anyway?" Goofy asked. "I betcha he's at the palace." Iago answered. "Then let's go!" Sora said to the other. "You sure we're allowed?" Kirito asked, "I mean, Asuna and I don't have a connection with the princess or Aladdin." "But you have us!" Donald stated. "We'll tell them that you are our friends." Sora said to them.

They led the group out of the shop and into the streets. No sign of Heartless for the time being, so they decided to make a straight path to the palace to meet their friends.

**Chapter 2: Meeting Jasmine and Aladdin**

They arrived at the palace gates to see a women standing there, looking at the doors. Iago hid behind Kirito, which indicated that this might be the princess. She turned when she heard Sora call out her name, and Asuna, Kirito and Yui finally saw Jasmine.

She was a young lady with dark skin, and dark brown eyes. Her black hair was tied into a long ponytail with a blue ribbon, and a headband with a sapphire in a gold frame in the center. Her attire was a blue bedlah outfit with long poofy bustle pants and a top which revealed forearms and midriff. The rest of her attire was gold earrings, necklace, and slipper-like shoes.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy!" she said, smiling at the three of them. "Your Majesty!" Donald addressed, leading the rest of them into a bow, including Asuna and Kirito. Jasmine giggled at their kind gesture. "I never had the chance to thank you before." she told them, "You helped Aladdin defeat that awful Jafar and saved Agrabah." "All in a day's work." Sora replied, while Kirito and Asuna wondered who Jafar was.

Jasmine then noticed the two newcomers plus Yui, who popped out and landed on Kirito's shoulder. "And who might these three be?" she asked as they stepped forward. "Greetings, your Majesty." Kirito said kindly, "My name is Kirito. This is Asuna, and this is Yui." Asuna made a curtsy while Yui waved at the princess. "These guys are friends of ours." Sora assured her, "They're joining with us in our quest, and these two are Keyblade wielders like me!" he indicated Asuna and Kirito. "I see." Jasmine confirmed, smiling at the three, "I'm so glad to have met the two of you. I hope you will keep the worlds safe just like Sora, Donald and Goofy." "Well, we've helped plenty of worlds. Why stop now?" Kirito asked amusingly, making Asuna and Yui giggle. Since she was a Princess of Heart, she was aware of other worlds like them. They all bowed again in thanks for the princess's kind words to them.

"So, uh... it looks like the Heartless are up to no good again." Sora cut in as Iago almost made an appearance, but quickly ducked behind Goofy, "Is there any way we can help you out?" "I think we're all right for now." Jasmine answered. "And ya always got Aladdin." Goofy added.

At this, Jasmine looked somewhat worried. "He...hasn't been himself lately." she muttered. "Is it because of the Heartless?" Donald asked, whipping out his staff. "I'm not sure." Jasmine answered, walking a few steps away from the crew, "Usually, he's the same cheerful Aladdin. But sometimes...he just seems sad."

Everybody thought in silence as Jasmine continued, "He leaves the palace and goes off by himself all the time. I've asked him about it, but he says nothing's wrong. He's gone again today. What if he doesn't come back this time?"

"Hmm, that's seems awfully familiar." Asuna muttered, turning to Kirito and indicating she was talking about him. "Hey, for all we know, it could it be another incident like with the Beast, and Organization XIII's brainwashing him?" He suggested in defense. He didn't want to talk about what he use to be in front of the princess.

"Hey! Maybe he's got a secret girlfriend!" Iago suggested, flying out from behind Goofy and shocking Jasmine, "I know! I'll go find out who she is!" Jasmine went from shock to anger, waving her hands at the parrot, who dodged her. "Iago!" she sneered as Iago dove behind Sora, "Sora, quick! Catch him! And I'll warn the guards and everyone in the palace!"

"That's the thing, Iago's not..." Sora tried to tell her, but she already ran off into the palace. The group watched her leave. "Smooth move, Iago." Asuna said sarcastically. "Maybe it's something you said." Goofy guessed. "More like how he presented himself." Asuna corrected, frowning at the ashamed parrot.

"Asuna, could you not say anything about my past to others like you almost did?" Kirito suggested, "You know I'm trying to make up for it." "It's hard to outrun the past, Kirito." Asuna responded, "Still, I know you're turning over a new leaf, so I'll try not to say anything." "Thanks." Kirito answered, smiling a bit.

"Gee, maybe we should go talk to Aladdin, "He's gotta be somewhere in town, right?" "Good idea." agreed Sora, "I wonder what he's been doing." "Let's find out." Yui answered, and she flew in front as they left the palace front.

Just as they walked back into town, they heard someone shout, "Stop! Thief!" then suddenly, they saw a small monkey with a fez and a vest run past them, carrying a black lamp with him. It chattered as it ran off, and the group looked at one another, then a young guy in raggy clothes rushed pass them saying, "Hey, Sora!", and chased after the monkey. Then a short, older man in a turban followed suit, shouting, "Come back here!", chasing after the two. The five heroes, along with Iago and Yui, chased after them, wondering what was that all about.

"Ok, who are these guys?" Kirito asked as they ran. "Well, the first guy was Aladdin." Sora explained, "The monkey is Aladdin's pet, Abu. As for the third guy, I remember him as a peddler here. "So that's Aladdin." Asuna realized as they followed the two men and monkey.

Abu finally got cornered against a wall by Aladdin, with the short man looking at them from behind. "If you can't control that fur ball, put a leash on him!" growled the peddler. "Look, I'm sorry." Aladdin told him, then he bent down an scolded the monkey, "You should be ashamed of yourself, Abu."

Abu gave the black lamp back to Aladdin, who gave it back to the peddler. "No hard feelings?" Aladdin said in a hopeful manner. The peddler snatched the lamp away from Aladdin, huffed, then walked off.

Aladdin knelt down and was about to scold Abu again when the monkey saw Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna and Yui round the corner, and dashed to them. Aladdin stood up and walked to them. "Hey guys," he greeted, "sorry about earlier. I was kinda in a hurry."

"What happened?" Sora asked, smiling. "You know Abu." Aladdin reminded them, "He couldn't keep his paws off that lamp." Abu waved his hands in denial, and tried to tell them something, but nobody there could speak monkey. "No talking your way out of this one!" Aladdin warned him. Everybody laughed at the monkey.

"So, who're these guys?" Aladdin asked, indicating Asuna, Kirito and Yui. "These guys are my new friends." Sora answered, waving to them. "Aladdin, meet Kirito, Asuna and Yui. Guys, meet Aladdin and Abu." "Hey." Kirito greeted. "Nice to meet you!" Asuna said. "Hi, there!" chimed Yui, waving her hand at them. "Great to meet you guys!" Aladdin said in a chipper mood.

"I guess you can't be THAT down in the dumps, huh?" Sora asked him. "Who said I was?" Aladdin asked confusingly. "Princess Jasmine." Goofy answered, "She's worried, 'cause you're always in town." "Got a new girlfriend?" Donald asked, making Asuna slam a fist down onto Donald's head to quiet him.

"No way!" Aladdin wavered off, then sighed, "Still...I guess there's no foolin' Jasmine, huh?" "She really worried about you." Yui explained, flying over to Aladdin's side, "If you can't tell her about what's wrong, can you at least be honest with us?" Aladdin looked at Yui hovering next to him, then he said, "Guess I should. See, Genie and Carpet took off to see the world. It's what Genie always wanted, so I wished him the best and all, but..." "You miss him." Goofy ended his sentence. Aladdin nodded.

"Man, things must be REALLY quiet with Genie gone." Sora indicated. "Was Genie someone that lightened the mood here?" Kirito questioned the others. "More like make everything a party." Sora chuckled. "Yeah." Aladdin continued looking out at the streets, "That's why I come here. The action, the people. There's always something goin' on. I mean, c'mon! I met you guys here today, right? This place is full of surprises."

Asuna turned back and saw Iago on the ground, sitting on his tail, shaking as he looked onward. "Uh, guys?" she said, pointing to the parrot. "Iago?!" gasped Aladdin as he saw him. "Oh, right." Sora remembered, "He wants to apologize for all the trouble he caused." "He's truly honest about it." Yui added, "He even saved our lives from some Heartless." "Oh, he did?" Aladdin asked, looking surprised as he looked at Iago, who didn't move from his spot. He looked petrified.

"Gawrsh, he's so sorry, he's shakin'!" Goofy said dumbly. "No, he's shaking out of fear, Goofy." Asuna corrected him, "Question is; why?" "Th-th-that lamp!" stammered Iago. "What about it?" asked Aladdin. "It was THE lamp!" Iago cried, flapping towards Aladdin. "What do you mean?" Kirito asked. "I think...he's saying that's the lamp Jafar is in!" Sora assumed.

"C'mon. There're a million like it." Aladdin told him. "Hey! I was locked up in that thing FOR MONTHS!" squawked Iago, "There's no way I'd mistake it!" Abu was jumping on the ground, agreeing with Iago. Aladdin looked down at his partner, then at the others. "Then we'd better go back and talk to that peddler." Aladdin stated. "Right behind you." Sora agreed.

**Chapter 3: Off to the Cave of Wonder**

Aladdin lead the group through the streets, but they could easily tell that this wasn't an easy task to accomplish. It wasn't which direction to go, it was how many Heartless intruded their path. There were Shadows, Luna Bandits, and new ones called Silver Rocks, which were flying little tricksters that were able to teleport around them. Aladdin, as Kirito and Asuna found out, was a well skilled fighter. He uses a scimitar, and he moves like crazy at a fast pace all around the place. They could tell he had dealt with Heartless before.

They eventually made it through, and they made it to the peddler's shop. Aladdin stayed outside so as not to anger the peddler again. Inside, they saw the peddler holding the lamp, and eyeing the new people that came in. "Hey, is there any way we can buy that lamp from you?" Sora asked. "Of course." he answered, "That is, IF you can afford it."

Sora eyed behind him, and saw Aladdin peering through the curtain door, signaling that he will pay. "No worries!" Sora told the peddler. "Yeah, we can pay you in royal treasu-" started Donald, but everybody hushed him. However, the peddler somehow realized what he was gonna say, and Kirito noticed a smirk on his face.

"Might I be able to interest you in another fine lamp?" The peddler asked, pulling different lamps from the shelves and showing it to them. "No, that's the one we need." Asuna answered. "Ah, well," the peddler started, and Kirito could see he was gonna up the price for the purchase of the lamp, "perhaps I can be persuaded, IF you bring me a treasure beyond even my imagination. Something, say, fit for a sultan..." Kirito and Sora looked at one another, expressing the same anxiety look on their faces.

"Oh, come on. Can't you at least reduce the price just a little bit?" Asuna asked, trying to work her charm on him. "No!" he peddler snapped, "I don't do bargaining. You don't bring me the treasure, I won't give you the lamp! Now, away with you!" Everyone looked at one another, then they walked out of the shop.

They arrived outside to see Aladdin and Iago standing there, having heard all that was said in there. "Treasure? That could be tricky..." muttered Aladdin. "You can blame Donald for opening his fat beak." Kirito stated, everyone looking at Donald sternly. "Wait! There's lots at the palace." Donald cried in defense. "But it's not mine to take." Aladdin replied, "And I can't ask. I don't want to worry Jasmine or the Sultan."

"Hey, I know!" Iago squawked, flying at Aladdin, "What about the treasure in the Cave of Wonders?" "The Cave of Wonders?" Kirito repeated questionably. "It's a place that contains a lot of traps, but there is some treasure there." Sora answered him. _So it's basically like that movie...what was it? Indiana something._ thought Kirito.

"All right, Iago. You lead the way!" responded Aladdin, "And after we get the treasure, I might even believe your apology." Iago looked relieved and happy to hear that. "You can count on me!" he squawked. He led the crew through the streets of Agrabah.

They managed to get to the Bazaar, which was the only place left to go through until they reached the Palace Walls that led outside. However, they found themselves surrounded by even more Heartless, which were destroying all of the little shops they had there. "Thank goodness nobody's here." Sora stated as he whipped out his Keyblade, "We don't want the Heartless to attack any citizens."

"I think it's a good time to try this!" Asuna stated, and she pulled out the Lantern Charm. "Your summoning charm?" Kirito asked. She nodded, and lifted it high into the air. "_Summon!_" she shouted, and the charm glowed brightly.

In a short cutscene, Asuna found herself at the footsteps of a tall tower. Suddenly, what looked like long golden hair landed next to her, and she looked up to see a girl in a pink dress sliding down the hair, which as it turns out was her own, extremely long hair. She landed next to Asuna and shook her hand. The scene change disappeared.

"Hi there!" she greeted her, "I'm Rapunzel. I hope I can help you out!" "Nice to meet you, Rapunzel." Asuna responded, somewhat perplexed by this new type of magic, "We need to take out some Heartless. Think you're up for the job?" The two girls looked around and saw the Heartless. "This won't be a problem." Rapunzel replied, pulling out a frying pan, and holding it like a sword. The two girls charged while the boys stood from afar.

Asuna figured that the long hair might be a problem for her summoned friend, but it didn't bother her. Her skills with the frying pan were pretty good, as utensils worked out. She also used her hair to wrap up Heartless, and flung them at Asuna, who finished them off. Even if Asuna was injured, Rapunzel would sing while her hair touched Asuna, and it would light up and heal her. All in all, she was a great asset to the battle.

Finally, the two went into their Limit Break, Sun Festival. Rapunzel wrapped her hair around Asuna, and pulled her hair hard, causing Asuna to spin on one foot like a top. She spun all around the Bazaar with control while Rapunzel was dancing in the middle, whipping her hair around at the Heartless so they would be in Asuna's path.

Asuna finally stopped, and all of the Heartless were defeated. Rapunzel's body started to glow, signaling her end. "Well, looks like my time is up." she stated. "Thanks so much, Rapunzel!" Asuna thanked her, "I'll call you when I need you." Rapunzel waved at her, then she vanished in a bright light.

The boys gathered back to her. "Wow! That was amazing!" Sora exclaimed. "That girl was dang useful." Kirito acknowledged. "Did all that spinnin' make you dizzy?" Goofy asked. "Nah, I had my eyes closed." Asuna replied. They all turned to the doors that led out of Agrabah, and rushed out.

Once they left, they saw the vast desert landscape before them. "So, which direction is the Cave of Wonders?" Kirito asked. "Over there!" Aladdin answered, pointing at some dark clouds in the distance, and it looked like the only place it was dark. "Let's go!" Sora declared, and they made their way through the desert towards the Cave of Wonders.

It took a while, and the heat was smoldering, but they finally made it underneath the ominous cloud cover. As they neared the center of the cloud cover, they saw, what Donald pointed out, was the entrance to the Cave of Wonder. It looked like a tiger's head made out of sand, and its' mouth was opened up to reveal stairs that led downward. Lights seem to glow within the interior. Kirito also noticed somebody going down the stairs. The bulk and figure of the person told Kirito who it was. Pete.

"This is it!" squawked Iago as they stopped to see the entrance. "Wow, it really is a wonder." Asuna gasped. "Well, we need to go in so we can get that treasure." Yui pointed out. "Then let's go!" Sora declared, and he led the group to the entrance, and down the path.

Inside, they found themselves along a pathway intruded by cube-shaped blocks here and there. Still, it wasn't a problem for them. What were problems were Heartless, and new ones too. Yui described them to the crew. There were Fortunetellers, which stood on their crystal balls as they floated in the air, and they were immune to magic. There were Fiery Globes, which were weak against Blizzard spells. Then there were Fat Bandits, which were like Large Bodies, only immune to fire, and they could breath fire.

They made their way through the Valley of Stone, down a path, and into another room. In it, they saw a small, long room, with water that seemed to flow upward on either side, and at the end, they saw a golden statue, with a pedestal in front of it. On their end, a small jewel seem to float above their heads.

They all looked at the jewel closely, then at the pedestal, and realized what has to be done. However, Abu, who sat on Aladdin's shoulder, only was interested in its' shine. It made a leap and grabbed the jewel as he landed on the ground. This then triggered something.

The reverse waterfalls on either side started to glow, then they vanished to reveal. the backside of the walls. Suddenly, stone statues started to appear out of nowhere, and they lined up on either side. They were moving slightly, as if they were alive. Their eyes flashed, and suddenly, icicles seem to appear from up above Abu, and fall on him. He managed to avoid getting hit, but they kept coming. It was also a problem that waves seem to appear from the other end of the room, and push them back.

"Aladdin, I think that peddler was right." Kirito told him, "You need to put a hold on that monkey of yours." "This is why they aren't good pets back home." Asuna grumbled. "Doesn't matter now!" Sora exclaimed, "Let's get Abu to the other side of the room so he can place the gem into the pedestal." Everyone nodded in agreement, and they went in.

On Aladdin's command, Abu dashed to the far side of the room while everyone did their best blocking all the ice that tried to land on Abu. When waves came in, one of them told Abu to jump over it, and he did so. It only took about thirty seconds, but Abu made it to the far side of the room, and placed the gem into the socket.

The stone statues started to glow on either side, then in one flash, the stones stopped moving. They became normal, and not ominous anymore. The golden statue in front of them sparkled brightly, then it vanished into sand, revealing a pathway further in behind it. "Good job, Abu!" Aladdin congratulated the monkey, who crawled back onto his shoulder again. The crew walked further into the cave.

When they came out of the new pathway, they were confronted by a dead end, with nothing but a sign in front of them. "Is this it?" Asuna asked as Aladdin read the sign. "Hang on." he told them, "This says something on it: 'Complete your task within the time allotted.' Also, it has something here that activates a trial." He turned to the others for their suggestion.

"Well, we've come this far." Sora stated. "Might as well give it a shot." Kirito suggested. Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement. "Then let's go for it." Asuna told Aladdin, who activated the trial in response.

**Chapter 4: Trials and Errors**

As soon as the trial was activated, the floor beneath them disappeared beneath them in a flash, and they fell to a floor below. When they landed, they found themselves surrounded by Shadows and ice cube Heartless called, well, Icy Cubes. Asuna figured that like the Fiery Globes are weak to ice, these new ones were weak to fire. The gang took out the small horde of Heartless in a flash, and then the floor disappeared on them again.

"I get it." Kirito realized as he saw the floor beneath them, "We have to take out the Heartless as fast as possible in order to proceed." "Then we should take out the next group of Heartless just as quick!" exclaimed Sora.

The group landed and found themselves surrounded by Fiery Globes and Icy Cubes. Donald and Asuna nodded to each other, then Asuna shouted, "Guys, jump!" The others did so. Asuna and Donald stood back to back, and shot Blizzard magic at the Fiery Globes, then casted Fire to take out the Icy Cube. It took them three seconds flat to do all that, and the floor beneath them disappeared, and they fell again.

As soon as they landed, a Fat Bandit stood in the center of the platform. Since frontal physical attacks didn't work, Kirito and Sora asked Goofy to play decoy while they attacked from behind. He did so, and the two Keyblade wielders sneaked behind while Goofy defended against the Fat Bandit's fiery breath. They went to work, and Aladdin attacked in a frenzy at the Heartless. They defeated it, and proceeded downward.

The next floor contained a Fat Bandit and several other Heartless. Kirito decided to take care of the Heartless with Asuna while the other four dealt with the Fat Bandit. Kirito's physical and Asuna's magical combo were just enough to take out the group of Heartless, while Sora, Donald, Goofy and Aladdin were having a bit of trouble wit their Heartless. Asuna and Kirito were about to join them when the floor beneath them disappeared, and they, along with the Fat Bandit, fell down to the final platform.

As soon as they landed, the Fat Bandit got up, and a lot of other Heartless appeared. "We'll never make it!" exclaimed Donald, seeing how many their were. "Oh, yes we can." Sora replied, then he and Aladdin looked at each other, and decided to do a Limit Break.

Aladdin started off by drawing his sword before making a lightning fast maneuver, reappearing leaning onto Sora's shoulder to show how it was done, then the two went to work. Whether it was on the ground or in the air, the two leapt at the enemies, slashing them with their swords like crazy. Finally they leapt into the air, touching feet, then they leapt off each other and did attacks too fast for the naked eye, only to see before landing next to each other, clap each other's hands as the enemies around them were now reacting to their attacks, and disappear into the darkness.

Kirito whistled at how well they dealt with the Heartless. "Way to go you two!" cheered Asuna. "All in a day's work." Sora replied, seeing no more Heartless around them. "But were you fast enough?" Yui asked, looking at another platform above them, seeing a sign and a closed door behind it.

Suddenly, stairs magically appeared for them, leading to the platform above. They walked up the stairs, and looked at the sign. "Time needed to accomplish: 2:00." Kirito read. "Your accomplished time: 1:40." "We did it!" Goofy cheered. "Hooray!" yelled Donald. "Congratulations. You may now proceed." Kirito finished reading. In front of them, the door unlocked and opened up to let them in. At the same time, a portal appeared at one side. The gang guessed that it led to the top of the room. "Here we go." Aladdin stated, and the group walked down the stairs to the room below.

When they got to the bottom, they all gasped. Hills of gold and jewels were piled everywhere in the room. More seem to fall from statues with pots, which poured them out. "You couldn't spend all this gold even if you wanted to!" Asuna stated, looking all around the room. "I've heard of too much of a good thing, but this takes the cake." Kirito said, seeing how high one of the hills of gold were. "Remember, we're only looking for one treasure." Yui reminded them, "Let's look for one that sticks out the most."

The grouped walked through the treasure room. At the back of the room, they saw something that definitely stuck out. It looked like a trophy of some kind, and it sat on a throne. It was solid gold, well designed, jewels attached all around. It was a sight to behold. "There." Aladdin pointed out, "That one should do it." Donald scurried up the stairs to grab it.

"Oh boy. It's perfect." Donald stated, "That guy's gonna like this." "Sure looks valuable." Sora noticed as the trophy gleamed a bit. "It could be more expensive than the rest of the gold here." Kirito said exasperatedly. "Great! Now let's go get that lamp." Aladdin proclaimed, "We gotta keep Jafar bottled up, or he's gonna destroy Agrabah!" The gang nodded in response.

At the same time, Iago and Abu were trying to carry a small gold figure that held a egg-shaped ruby in its' hand. Donald was watching them sternly, tapping his feet on the ground. "Stop!" he told them, and the two animals scattered, dropping the statue. Donald stared at the ruby in the figure's hands, and he suddenly seemed to be hypnotized by its' beauty.

"Hey, snap out of it, Donald!" Aladdin shouted, bringing Donald back to his senses. He was walking back to the group when suddenly the room around them started to go black a bit. The only light that was there seemed to be coming from a large circle in the middle of the room, for which they stood in. The three gathered in a circle as Heartless appeared all around them. "Why does this always happen?" Donald asked. "We just have unfortunate luck, that's all." Asuna replied as she pulled out her Keyblade. Kirito entered Valor Form as Sora entered Wisdom form. The gang charged all around, taking on the Heartless.

It started off with Silver Rocks, which were difficult, but Kirito found a way to knock them away while they tried to teleport. Next came a bunch of Icy Cubes, which a dose of Sora's Fire was taking them out nice and easily. Then there were Fiery Cubes, which were either swatted or hit with Blizzard attacks.

The group though this was gonna be easy until three Fat Bandits appeared, filling up most of the circle. Between their large mass, their endurance to fire and frontal attacks, and their fiery attacks, the trio of Heartless were a tough enemy to beat. However, Asuna's quick Lightning spell barrage paralyzed the Fat Bandits, saving the group and allowing the others to knock them out without too much problem afterwards.

Once they defeated the Heartless, the lights came back up again. Sora sighed in relief as Kirito made sure to grab the golden trophy. "Thanks for the save there, Asuna." Aladdin thanked her. "Aw, I just did what I could." Asuna replied.

"But where did ya expect those Heartless came from?" Goofy asked. "I think it was Pete." Kirito answered, "Just as we neared the Cave of Wonders, I could've sworn I saw him going into the cave." "If that's the case," Asuna realized, "Then could mean that he had known what we are planning to do?" "Well, let's go." Sora answered, "The sooner we get the lamp, the sooner we can get it away from Pete's hands."

Chapter 5: Fire, Ice and an Old Friend

They made their way back to Agrabah, and entered the peddler's shop. The peddler was nowhere to be seen in there. "Hello?" Aladdin called out. No one responded. "Did he leave us?" Yui asked. "Well what am I gonna do with this?" Kirito asked, placing the golden trophy down.

Suddenly, they heard voices from outside the shop. Both of them were recognizable. "Stop your whining and hand it over!" Pete's voice growled. "Ohh no!" replied the peddler, "I'm trading it for treasure. This lamp is going to bring me riches!"

The group turned around and headed out again. They looked for where the voices came from. "Oh, no you don't!" Pete shouted. The group turned and saw the peddler running for his life, holding onto the lamp as he was being chased by Pete, who was towering over him as he was being chased. They rushed through the streets and out of sight.

"They're heading for the palace!" Aladdin noticed. "Then let's go after them." Sora declared, and the trio charged in pursuit of Pete and the peddler.

Meanwhile, Pete had just chased the peddler to the palace gates. He then got in close to grabbing the lamp. "Thank you." he said, snatching it away from the peddler and rushing ahead. The peddler wasn't gonna let him have it that easily, and caught up with him, and leapt up to grab it. "It's mine!" he cried, taking the lamp back from Pete before rushing off. Pete, surprised by the change of hands, took a charge at the peddler.

The gang of heroes arrived at the palace to see the two still at it. "Lamp hog!" shouted Pete. "Go away!" the peddler replied. Finally, Pete made a grab for the peddler's turban with one hand, and took the lamp away with the other and held it out of his reach. "No fair!" the peddler sneered, trying to struggle free from Pete's grip. "Heh heh, I win!" laughed Pete.

"Hey, Iago." Kirito whispered to the parrot next to him, "I know you're not a dog, but go fetch." Iago responded by flying at the high-held lamp, and snatched it out of Pete's hands. Pete, realizing the touch of the lamp disappeared, looked up, saw the lamp was gone, then saw Iago flying away with the lamp in his beak.

"Nice one, Iago!" Sora called out. "Way to go!" cheered Aladdin. "You did it!" shouted Asuna. "Don't drop it!" warned Donald. "Look! Behind you!" Goofy cried out. Iago turned to see both Pete and the peddler rushing to catch him, and started to zig-zag a bit, distracting them. Why? So he could move out of their way as they hit a wall. The peddler was knocked out, but Pete shook it off.

Iago saw how he dealt with them, and wasn't looking where he was going. He, too slammed into a wall, dropping the lamp. "No!" cried Yui as the others gasped. Iago fell to the ground as the lamp bounced to Pete's feet. Pete reached down and picked up the lamp, chuckling. "Nice try, bird brain." he said amusingly, "Just wait till Jafar's free! He's gonna make one beauty of a Heartless!"

Sora and the others were about to charge at Pete when the ground started to shake. Based on Pete's expression, he was just as surprised as the others. The gang looked all around, finding where the shaking was coming from. Finally, Kirito looked up into the sky, and saw a glint, followed by something blue flying wildly in the air. No, it was somebody, with a smoky tail instead of legs, and a red band around his waist. Kirito gasped. It was a genie. No, it was the Genie.

"I'm HOME!" he shouted winking at a crowd nobody can see, and flying down to everyone else. He soared past Pete as he shouted, "Al! It's been eons!" He dove down and hugged Pete tightly, continuing, "Al, you princely little muffin, you!" he teleported behind Pete, "Cosmic travel can get so lonely without a friend." he slapped Pete's shoulder, then teleported to the other end and wrapped his arm around Pete's shoulder, "To think I left you forlorn and Genie-less... Oh, the HUMANITY!" He threw Pete aside and started to burst into tears.

The lamp flew out of Pete's hands, and Yui flew out, grabbed the handle, and struggled to fly it back to Asuna, who walked up and took it from the pixie. "Hehe, nice catch, Yui." Asuna stated as Yui fell onto her shoulder and sighed in relief. "Thanks, mommy." Yui replied. "This guy is Genie?" Kirito asked wildly, "He's nuts!"

"Genie?" Aladdin asked his friend, but he completely ignored him as he continued, "Hey, Al, you've been puttin' on weight?" puffing himself up like a fat man, then teleporting next to the delirious Pete, "Aw, of course, what am I saying? You're living at the palace now." he duplicated himself. "Aladdin!" said one Genie in a girly voice. "Jasmine!" said the other, hugging each other and producing fireworks.

He then teleported to Pete's other side as he said, "I can just picture it..." slapping Pete's back before teleporting away from him, "Wait, tell me. Am I being a pest? Just a big blue pest?" he flew up and down in front of Pete grabbing both of his hands and shaking him, "Aw, who cares, Al! I'm just so glad to SEE you!"

"Genie!" Aladdin shouted as he walked forward, drawing Genie's attention. He saw his real friend, then turn to see who he was greeting, and dropped Pete, who fell backwards. Sora, Kirito and the others all looked at one another, and started to laugh crazily at Pete.

Pete lifted his head, shaking off the dazed expression, and looking angrily at Genie. "I'll teach you to make a fool out of me!" he yelled, waving his fist. Genie wasn't watching, but lifting Aladdin and hugging him. He also noticed Sora walking up to him, then Kirito and Asuna walking up as well.

"Uh, we haven't been formally introduced." Kirito said to the Genie as he put Aladdin down, "I'm Kirito. And this is Asuna. We're friends of Sora's and Aladdin's." "Kirito and Asuna?" Genie asked, "No offense, but those are tricky names. Mind if I call you K and A, kay?" "Whatever works." sighed Kirito. "Well, it's nice meeting, K and A!" he said, grabbing both of their hands and shaking them violently, "I'm so glad you've been keeping a good eye on Al and Sora." he bulged his eyes out at them like binoculars when he said 'eye'. "Y-yeah, no problem." Asuna replied, slightly dizzy from the handshake. "Oh, man." Kirito said quietly, "If this is him happy, I hate to see him mad."

The gang turned at the sound of Pete's grunts, and saw him get to his feet. "Time for Plan B!" he declared, "I'm finishin' you mugs off right now!" He lifted his fist and slammed it to the ground. Just then, a geyser appeared underneath a cart, breaking it to reveal a fat blue Heartless. Then some bushes caught on fire, and exploded to appear a Heartless like the other one, only red.

"Yui, analyze!" Kirito cried as everyone whipped out their weapons. "Ok, the blue one is called Blizzard Lord." Yui described, "The red one is called Volcanic Lord. These two are dangerous Heartless, but they are weak against the opposite element." "So fire on ice, and ice on fire." Kirito stated, seeing the two Heartless dance in front of them, "Let's divide and conquer! Sora, Asuna, Donald, take the Blizzard. Me, Aladdin and Goofy can take the heat." They did as they were told and split into groups. Genie flew above them, produced a box of popcorn, a soda and watched them.

Each side went to work on their opponents. Sora, Asuna and Donald were dealing with the Blizzard Lord by smacking him around and producing Fire at him. However, the Blizzard Lord was no pushover. He swung his staff around, hurled ice crystals, and even blew icy breath that froze Asuna up at one point. Fortunately, Sora used fire to defrost her, and they continued to fight.

Meanwhile, Kirito, Aladdin and Goofy were dealing with the Volcanic Lord, who not only swung his staff and produced fireballs, but was belly-flopping around like a ball, leaving firespots where ever he landed. "This guy's a real pain!" Aladdin exclaimed, jumping back from a near press by the bouncing Heartless. "Kirito! Look out!" Goofy shouted.

Kirito saw the Volcanic Lord come upon him, but he saw a socket on his waist, and struck his Keyblade into it. He then hurled it around and tossed it at the Blizzard Lord. At the same time, the Blizzard Lord was about to do another ice breath attack, but Sora stopped it by plugging up his mouth with his Keyblade. Not only did Sora stop him from blowing, but it sent it flying backwards towards his fiery counterpart.

The two collided and were dazed. Sora and Kirito leapt up and struck each Lord hard. Suddenly, they split into Fiery Globes and Icy Cubes, and scattered all around. The six of them tried to exterminate all of them, but they reformed and attacked once more.

"At this rate, they'll destroy the whole palace gates!" Kirito exclaimed, slamming his Keyblade at the Volcanic Lord. "Let's do a Limit Break!" Goofy suggested, tossing his shield at the Heartless like a boomerang. Kirito looked at Goofy, and nodded in agreement. Aladdin backed off as the two went to work.

They both started to glow, then Goofy threw his shield at Kirito, who smacked it with his Keyblade, like a baseball bat, at Volcanic Lord many times, each time the shield magically went back into Goofy's hands. After a while, they started to throw their weapons into a Strike Raid, striking him several times again. Finally, Kirito picked Goofy up by the waist as he raised his shield. His feet started up like a rocket engine, which fits because he started to fly at the Volcanic Lord like a missile, flying and crossing every which-way at the Lord, finally defeating it.

Asuna turned to see Kirito and Goofy work it out with their opponent. "Hey, that could for our problem, too!" Asuna realized as Sora skidded back to her, "You think I can do a Limit Break with you?" "Let's find out!" Sora answered. Donald was pushed back by the Blizzard Lord as the two rushed in, ready to use their powers.

They clashed their Keyblades together, and they glowed as one, sharing their powers. In unison, Sora started to fire blasts of light spears out of his Keyblade at the Heartless, while Asuna rushed in and did shining jabs with her her Keyblade. They swapped places, only Sora did a frenzy of slashes instead of jabs. They changed firings light spears and slashing and jabbing close up several times. This was their 'Starburst' and 'Flash Blade' combo. Finally, the two jumped high into the air to either's side, and pointing their Keyblades downward, side by side. Their Keyblades glowed brightly at the tip, then they fired a shining beam down at Volcanic Lord, with a barrage of light spears that homed in on the Heartless. The attack obliterated him, releasing the heart that created it. The Limit Break was officially called 'Light Splash', and the final attack to be called 'Starry Maelstrom'.

"Great combo!" Kirito exclaimed, rushing to Asuna and Kirito with the others. "Now mommy has a Limit Break with Sora just like daddy!" cheered Yui. Sora and Asuna looked at one another, and each of them gave a thumbs up.

"You!" barked Pete, causing the group to turn to him, "You've messed with me for the last time! I'm gonna get you yet!" Then he turned and ran off again. The five heroes, with Yui, watched him run off. Genie flew down to Aladdin, hugged him, then each of them gave each other a thumbs up, too. Suddenly, a purple carpet flew, and I mean flew, around them, carrying Abu, and flew around the place, with Iago flying behind them.

"Wait, what about the lamp?!" Donald asked, seeing where Pete ran off. "Don't worry." Asuna replied, pulling the lamp from behind her, "Yui made sure to grab this so Pete wouldn't get it again." "Way to go, Yui!" cheered Sora, grabbing her and lifting her high in open palms. She giggled in response for the praise she was given. They had won.

**Chapter 6: The Jeweled Gate**

The group found an underground prison that was perfect for keeping the lamp safe from harm's way. They found a stone box with a slab of rock that covered the top of it. They placed the lamp into the box, and slid the slab over it, sealing it shut within. This was hopefully the last time they had to deal with the dang lamp.

Afterwards, they went back to the palace gates, where they were reunited with Jasmine. Aladdin and Abu were not with them at this time. Sora and Asuna convinced Jasmine to hear Iago out, so he could apologize for his past endeavors.

"I promise," he said to the princess, "you won't regret givin' me another chance. Honest!" "Uh, Princess Jasmine," intruded Genie, "you sure you want that pigeon in the coop?" "Oh, I think Iago's shown that he means well." Jasmine responded, after hearing how much he helped Sora, Kirito and the others out. "Aw, sure. You're probably right." Genie agreed. "And how much trouble can one noisy bird cause?" Sora asked the Genie. "He's definitely proved that he's trustworthy." Kirito added. "You just might have a point there, kiddies." Genie responded.

Jasmine turned back to the group as she asked, "What happens next, Sora?" "Well, it was great seeing you all..." Sora started, "but we still need to find Riku and the King." "And a guy named DiZ." Kirito added. "I guess we'll be moving on." Asuna stated. "I hope you find 'em." Genie told them. "Me, too." Sora agreed.

"Hey, where's Aladdin?" Donald asked, looking around. "He ran off toward town, looking for Abu." Jasmine answered, "But he should be back soon." "Al can't miss Sora's, Kir's and Asuna's farewell party!" Genie exclaimed, "I'll have him back in a jiffy!" He then spun in a bright cyclone, and disappeared. "Ok, now why is mine the only one of the trio to have his named shortened?" asked Kirito. The other four laughed at his expression of confusion.

Suddenly, Aladdin's voice shouted, "Abu!" The group turned to see Aladdin chasing after Abu, who was carrying the egg-shaped jewel they saw in the Cave of Wonders before. "Catch him!" Aladdin shouted to the others. Sora, Donald and Goofy made a dive, and they piled on top of Abu, who struggled to get free. Donald, who was on the bottom of the trio, saw the jewel, and realized that it was the same one he saw.

"He must've secretly stolen it from the Cave of Wonders." Aladdin guessed. "How could he have secretly stolen a gem like that?" Asuna asked, seeing the pile of people get up as Abu grabbed the jewel again. "Abu!" squawked Donald, snatching the jewel from Abu's hands. He then looked at the jewel, and was mesmerized by its' beauty.

"I guess some things are just hard to resist." Goofy stated. "A simple and selfish mind just can't help it." quoted Asuna. Donald shook his head so as not to be hypnotized by it again, and held it as if he was a pitcher in a baseball game. "Aw, who needs it!" he shouted, throwing it off into the sky. As the others looked to see where it went, Donald secretly kept a grip onto the jewel, and hid it behind his back. Abu, who was behind him, cried his monkey talk as he pointed at the jewel. "Oh... I guess it got stuck!" said an embarrassed Donald.

Suddenly, the jewel started to glow brightly, startling everyone. As it started to float, Sora, Kirito and Asuna- realizing what this meant- gathered together. They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the jewel glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the jewel suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

"Wow, to think that gem Abu stole actually led to the keyhole." Asuna said. "Heh, makes you think that sometimes, stealing is a good thing." Kirito stated.

"Sora... What is it?" Aladdin asked as he walked up to the trio. "I think it's time for us to go." Sora answered, turning to Aladdin. Jasmine walked forward, and wrapped her hands around Aladdin's arm. "Will you be back?" she asked. "We will, I promise!" Sora proclaimed. "I kind of had a lot of fun here." Asuna giggled. "Make sure Iago stays out of trouble." Kirito told them. Aladdin gave them a thumbs up, and they responded just the same.

"Hang ooon!" Genie shouted, flying over them. "You can't just leave without saying goodbye to me!" "This isn't goodbye!" Goofy corrected him. "Yeah, we'll see each other again." Kirito shouted. "Well, in that case..." Genie said flying down to them, "use this so we can get together again!" he held in his hand a summoning charm, with a picture of a lamp on it. "Thanks, Genie." Sora replied, taking the charm and pocketing it.

"Well, see ya around!" Kirito waved to them, and the group activated the teleportation device, sending them back to their ship, going onto their next adventure.

**Man, talk about a nice story. Asuna and Sora finally display their Limit Break 'Light Splash'.**

**Next up, we're doing another side story with Leafa and Recon. They're aiding Namine in helping out in saving Kairi. Question is; how will it come about? Just wait and see. Leave a comment and wait for an update!**


	13. Ep 11 Saving Kairi! Leafa Struggles!

**Prologue**

In a dark street, Pluto the dog was walking around sad and lonesome. As he crossed a puddle, he looked up and saw a man in a black robe and red spiky hair walk along a street horizontal to him. He disappeared into an alleyway, and Pluto, thankful to see somebody, rushed toward him.

He rounded the corner to see the man open up a black portal, and go right through it. Pluto tried to follow him, but just as he got close, the portal disappeared, and so did the man. Pluto stopped at the spot, and looked down sadly, wishing for somebody to play with.

Suddenly, from behind, someone whistled for him. Pluto's ears raised and he turned. Another dark portal appeared from behind him. He barked as he charged at the portal, leaping into it, and vanishing along with it.

When he arrived, he found himself in a dark space, and a man stood before him. A tall man with a hood over his head. He knelt down and petted Pluto on the head. "I may need your help, boy." he said in a deep voice. The dog looked up at him, panting in excitement. The man mouth could only be seen, grinning.

_(Cue Opening theme)_

**Chapter 1: A New Life in Twilight Town**

"Welcome, one and all to the championship round of the Struggle Tournament!" the Announcer shouted through the microphone. "Today's contestants are a sight to be reckoned with. In this corner, Twilight Town's prior winner; Seifer!" A young man with a black tuque was waving his hand to the cheering crowd. "You got this one, Seifer, y'know?" Rai, one of Seifer's friends called out. "Win." Fuu, another friend of Seifer's, said simply.

"An in the other corner," the Announcer continued, "A newcomer to the town; a girl with unparalleled speed and strength; Leafa!" The crowd cheered as Leafa waved her hand to everyone around her, particularly at Recon, Hayner, Pence and Olette. "Go for it, Leafa!" cheered Olette. "Put Seifer in his place!" Hayner shouted. "You can do it, Leafa!" cheered Pence. "Avenge me for my loss, Sugu- I mean Leafa!" Recon called out.

Leafa looked at her new friends, then at the opponent in front of her. _How long has it been since I've been in this world._ she thought to herself as she and her opponent walked up to one another, along with the referee, giving them their Struggle Bats. It had actually been about a week since she and Recon arrived to this world. A lot of what brought her to this day happened on the first day in Twilight Town.

_(Flashback) _Namine led Leafa and Recon out of the mansion, and out into the courtyard. This was the first time they saw the outside. She then turned to them. "I know this is going to be hard, but you must stay around in this town until I need you." "And what?" Leafa asked stubbornly, "Twiddle our thumbs? Do nothing while my brother, Asuna and Yui are out there, risking their lives with that 'Sora' character and his friends?"

"Don't worry about them." Namine reassured them. "I can keep a close watch on your brother. In the meantime, there are plenty of things you can do here. I'm sure you'll find friends here, but you mustn't tell them you are from a different world. Most people don't know about other worlds." "Got it." Leafa answered.

"Also, I bet you can discover more about the Keyblade and learn more magic." Leafa raised her hand and produced her Fairy Harp into it. "As for a place to live, you will always have a home in this mansion. For now, just be patient."

She turned and left into the mansion, leaving Recon and Leafa standing there, looking concern. As soon as the door closed, the two turned towards to gates, and started to walk. "What a situation we're in." sighed Leafa, "I mean, I can trust Namine. She hasn't been dishonest towards us. But to leave us like this..."

"Maybe we should go explore the town." Recon recommended, "I'm sure there are plenty of stuff there that will take our mind off of things." Leafa looked back at the gates to the mansion, then decided to follow Recon's advice. They walked through a small forest, then through a large crack in the wall, and arrived in town. They looked around town, getting the feel of the place.

"It's not a bad place." Leafa stated as they walked throughout the streets. "It feels so modern, like back home." Recon noticed, looking around at the shops, "Though it might be a bit older." They continued to walk around, even helping someone with getting a cart into their garage. They were given munny in return, which was the currency in this world.

After a while of exploring, they found themselves at a large space in the town, to which people called the Sandlot. There, they noticed three people there, two boys and a girl. The chubby, black-haired kid and the brown-haired girl were watching the blond-haired boy juggle a ball in the air with a weird blue bat with a yellow handle.

They walked up to them as the blond-haired boy made a dive for the ball, but it grazed off his bat and landed onto the ground along with him. "Oh, so close, Hayner." the black-haired kid shouted. "That was 58 hits before you dropped it." the girl counted. Hayner flipped onto his back and sulked. "Aw man, I almost broke my record of 60 hits!" he moaned.

He then turned his head so as to see everything flipped, and saw Leafa and Recon coming their way. He flipped himself up as his friends walked up next to him, seeing the two. "What do you want?" he asked them. "Nothing." Recon replied. "We're just exploring. We're kind of new to this town, so we don't know our way around." "Is that so?" Hayner asked.

"So you guys are new here?" the girl asked, "Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Olette." she held out her hand, and they shook. "I'm Pence." the black-haired boy, waving at them. "Hayner." the blond boy said simply. "I'm Leafa. This is Recon." Leafa introduced to the group.

"Say, how 'bout I test you with something." Hayner told them, picking up his bat. "Call it an initiation to be part of our town." He tossed the bat to Leafa, who grabbed it at both ends. "I want to see how many time you can hit this ball in the air before it hits the ground." Hayner said, picking up the ball and holding it aloft. "Let's say 30 hits for a passing grade."

"That won't be a problem." Leafa said smugly, "I heard you were trying to hit your record. What is it?" "60 hits." Hayner replied. "Then I'll go for that." Leafa concluded, raising the bat up like a kendo stick. The three looked at each other before Hayner smirked as he said, "Ok. 60 hits. Can't do that, you get out of town." "Leafa, are you sure?" Recon asked quietly in a worried tone, "Remember what Namine said; we have to stay in town." "Are you doubting me?" she asked, turning to Recon, her eyes sternly looking at him. He recoiled, then decided to trust her.

"Ready?" Hayner asked, prepared to toss the ball. "Just do it." Leafa replied. "Go!" he shouted, throwing the ball. Leafa dashed at the falling ball, and made a hit at it with her bat, keeping it in the air. She did this repeatedly, even jumping into the air to hit it even higher. Ten...twenty...thirty, she kept going with the hits, not feeling worn out from it. The other four watched her go to work, their eyes following her as she dashed and leapt all around, keeping the ball up. "She's doin' pretty good." Pence said after her 45th hit. "Wait until 60." Hayner said, though he did looked impressed.

Leafa kept it up. 54...55...56...57. She had three more hits to go. She hit it hard, but it was going far off to the right. She dashed to the spot where it was gonna land, and made a dashing slash at it with her bat. It made contact, and reversed course. Leafa skidded and dashed the other direction. She wasn't gonna make it like this. She needed to get faster, or she wouldn't make it.

Everybody gasped as they saw the ball nearing the ground in slow motion. Leafa made a leap, sticking her bat out in front of her. She flew in the air, then skidded to the ground. She saw the ball fall down...onto her bat, then bounced to the ground. "60!" Pence, Olette and Recon shouted in joy. Hayner stared opened mouthed at Leafa, who got to her feat, panting and brushing her clothes down.

She looked up and saw Hayner walked up to her. They stared at each other for a while, then Hayner smirked. "Nice job there." he said, raising his hand out. "You have some great skills. Welcome to Twilight Town." Leafa smiled back, and shook his hand.

"Hey, why don't we celebrate?" Pence asked, "Let's get some ice cream and go to the train station." "Sounds great." Olette answered. "You get the ice cream, Pence." Hayner told him, "I'll lead these two to the train station." Pence ran off, and Hayner and Olette led Leafa and Recon to the train station, which happened to be a tall clock tower.

They maneuvered throughout the interior, and finally got to the top of the tower. Leafa and Recon finally got to see the town from such a high point, along with a great view of the setting sun. Leafa couldn't help but grin. It almost felt like days since she left ALO, and lost her wings, even though it hasn't been that long. They sat themselves in front of the clock head, and dangled their feet over the edge. "Pretty awesome view, huh?" Hayner asked. "It's fantastic." Leafa replied. "It feels as if were standing in the sky." Recon added.

After a few minutes, Pence came back, holding a handful of light-blue ice cream on a stick. He handed each one to the others, then sat down next to them. "What's the flavor?" Recon asked. "Sea-salt ice cream." Olette answered. The two looked at their treat. They had never tried that kind of ice cream flavor. They simultaneously bit into their ice cream. "Salty..." Recon described. "...But sweet." ended Leafa, liking the combination. It tasted good. "Pretty good, huh?" he asked them. They nodded in response.

"So where are you guys from?" Pence asked them. Leafa and Recon looked at each other nervously, remembering Namine's words. Finally, Recon answered, "Were from a place far away called Alfheim." "Alfheim?" Hayner repeated, "Never heard of that place before." "Well...like we said, it's pretty far off." Recon said to them, trying to act normal.

"And why have you come to Twilight Town?" Olette asked. "To search for my brother." Leafa answered, which was in most cases true. "I think he might have come to this town. I don't know if you had seen him, but his name is Kazuto. Though most of the time he calls himself Kirito."

At the name, the trio of kids looked at each other, surprised. Then they turned back to Leafa and Recon. "We know a person by that name." Pence told them. "You do?!" Leafa asked surprisingly, "Where? When?" "A few days ago, at our usual spot." Olette explained, "He was with a few others. There names were Sora, Donald, Goofy and Asuna."

"Asuna was with them, too?" Leafa questioned them, standing up on the edge and looking at them, "Where are they now?" "We don't know." Olette replied, "They boarded a train, but the train they got on hasn't come back since." "Still, those guys did say they would come back." Hayner said. "I'm sure they'll return if you wait."

Leafa looked down, sort of relieved. If they promised they would come back, then she was sure that her brother would keep that promise. She just hoped her brother would come back soon.

"Hey, don't worry about it." assured Recon, standing up as well, "If they come back, we'll be ready to help them, right?" Leafa looked at Recon, looking worried a bit, but then changed to serious and nodded in response. "For now, let's practice with our weapons." Recon said, pulling out his new dagger, which he decided to call Pixie Sting, "I'm sure that we can get stronger in the time being, maybe even find new spells to work with." Leafa made her usual 'unsheathing' her blade, even though she didn't have to, producing her Keyblade.

The sudden appearance of the weapon surprised Hayner and the others. "Hey, that's a cool weapon." Pence said, looking at Leafa's Keyblade. "Hmm..." hummed Hayner, eyeing the weapon. "What is it?" Leafa asked, seeing Hayner's expression. "I don't know." he said, "I just...have this feeling that I've seen a sword like that before." "I bet either Kirito and Asuna had one." Leafa replied, "They have weapons like these as well." "Really? They never showed them." Olette told them, "Though Hayner is right though. It does seem familiar." The three were lost in thought, but then they decided to forget about it.

"Say, if you're sticking around, how about entering the Struggle tournament?" Pence suggested. "Struggle tournament?" echoed Leafa. "Yeah." Pence replied, "Though, you look like a person who doesn't know how to play Struggle. The rules are easy; you are given a certain number of balls, and you have your Struggle Bat." Hayner waved the bat Leafa was using. "To win, you must either take all of the opponents balls, have more balls than the other opponent, or you beat the opponent so much, that they are unable to continue."

"Sounds simple enough." Leafa replied, "Kind of like a kendo duel, only different." "Can anyone join?" Recon asked, "Cause I would like to take part in this tournament." "Sure, you just have to register on the day before." Hayner answered. They go through preliminaries before going to the top four, then they have to challenge the champion, who's a guy I'm aiming to beat; Seifer."

"I guess this will take my mind off of things for the time being." Leafa decided, "Let's get started!" They polished off their ice cream, and the group walked down to the entrance again. "Remember, if we have to fight each other that day, were rivals, got it?" Leafa looked to him, smirked, and nodded in response. _(Flashback ends)_

**Chapter 2: Leafa vs. Seifer**

Leafa couldn't believe that she was where she was now, in the championship round of the Struggle match against the towns disciplinarian, Seifer. That week passed by so quickly.

Hayner, Pence and Olette did have school, so they couldn't help them out half the time. During those times, Leafa and Recon spent their time sparring against one another. Leafa found the Keyblade a very strong weapon, despite how light it felt. The swiftness and strength of her attacks seemed to improve slightly from using it. Recon's dagger didn't improve him as much, so she had to go easy on him at times so that he could get the feel of his weapon.

They had also learned how to use magic, though they had the one for a while, Aero. They had first experience on each other what the attack felt like, and it did more than knock the wind from them.

On the 5th day since their arrival, they met Seifer and his gang, Rai, Fuu and Vivi. When he heard they were gonna enter the Struggle tournament, Seifer kept pestering them, making sure they were 'in line'. Leafa supressed the urge to just beat him up right then and there. She'd save that for the tournament.

Of the group, Vivi was the one they seem to have less problems with. In fact, when they helped her from being attacked by a swarm of bees, she offered them each a magic orb each, which she didn't need. They contained the spell 'Haste', which sped up their attacks. Vivi maybe one of Seifer's followers, but she did have a soft spot.

On the day before the tournament, everyone signed up for the tournament. They went through the preliminaries until there were four remaining. The balls that Pence explained were quite odd. She was given twenty balls, and instead of holding them, they went into her body. I mean, she absorbed the balls a lot like the magic orbs. If she was hit, one or two of them would fly out of her body. She can absorb both her opponents and her own again. Finally, the four have been decided; Hayner, Leafa, Recon and a guy named Setzer, who was quite popular around the girls.

Finally, on the day of the Tournament, they were paired up for the semifinals; Hayner vs. Leafa, Recon vs. Setzer. Leafa was able to beat Hayner quite well, where as Recon was having a hard time with Setzer, who was well skilled, and he got beat. Finally, it was down between Leafa and Setzer. Even though Setzer was good against Recon, he was no match for Leafa's skills, and she kept knocking him back until she grabbed all of his balls, and won the battle.

Now here she was, about to face Seifer, and her friends were cheering for her. She and Seifer walked up to the referee, who handed them their bats. "Now I want a clean fight, ok?" he warned them, then he walked off. The two combatants looked at one another.

"Time I show you why I'm the chief disciplinarian around here." Seifer said, sticking his Struggle Bat out in front of her. "Yeah, I've faced worse enemies." Leafa replied, holding her bat like a kendo stick.

"And now, the final battle: Seifer vs. Leafa." the Announcer said, "Already, sparks are flying, and we haven't even started. Let's not waste a moment then. Let's..." "STRUGGLE!" shouted the crowd, and the bell signaled the start of the fight.

Both of them simultaneously moved. They crossed bats, and the two start to attack and defend at the same time. Seifer was being pushed back, but with one swing of his bat, he sent Leafa jumping backwards. She landed and rushed at him again. She was about to make a downward slash, and Seifer decided to go into a diagonal slash. This was what Leafa was planning, for she was faking her attack.

She swerved to the opposite side of Seifer's swing, and placed a side slash across him. He dropped a couple of balls, and Leafa grabbed them. _Yes! _she thought, _Now I should try defending until the timer is up. _She saw Seifer coming at her in a rage to get what he lost, and started to go on the defense. every strike he made, Leafa kept blocking every attack, leaving herself unscathed.

"What's wrong? Trying to wimp out on another chance to hit me?" Seifer asked. Leafa knew he was trying to aggravate her, but she smiled. It was a sign of his weakness. She ducked under Seifer's swing, and dealt a double jab on his chest, knocking a few more balls loose from him. Leafa gathered them up. "No, I just wait until you are vulnerable." she replied in a sassy tone.

This got Seifer angrier, and he started to swing his Struggle Bat at Leafa wildly. She barely dodged it, and decided to go on the defense again. This was proving difficult, as he started to strike faster and harder than before. Leafa struggled to hold her own in blocking, and she was being pushed into a corner of the stage. She leapt to one side, and Seifer's bat met her face, smacking her off balance, and losing some of the balls she gained. Seifer, however, ignored them. He was too fixated on attacking Leafa to care.

Leafa rolled away and leapt back onto her feet again as Seifer charged headlong at her. He attempted a downward strike, but Leafa placed both hands on her bat to withstand his strike. The block caused him to recoil, and Leafa struck him a few more times, knocking off more balls and gathering them up.

"Focus, Seifer, y'know?" Rai shouted. "Don't give in." Fuu muttered. "Come on, Seifer!" shouted Vivi. His follower's calls snapped Seifer out of the blind rage he was in. He looked back at them, then he gave a thumbs up, and turned back to Leafa, ready to fight some more.

The battle continued to go on. Seifer was now much calmer and thinking better, so now he was holding his own against Leafa again. She, in returned, couldn't help but feel glad that he returned to normal. He could've been like Kirito, and started going on a frenzy in the battle.

Moments later, the bell rang once more, signaling the end of the fight. "It's over!" shouted the announcer, "The winner of this match goes too...Leafa!" Leafa waved her bat in the air in victory. The crowd cheered with joy. Apparently, Hayner and the others weren't the only ones who didn't like Seifer's attitude. Leafa's friends were shouting in happiness. Hayner, Pence, Olette and Recon joined her on stage, hugging her and congratulating her while the crowd chanted her name. In a way, Leafa felt good about this.

She turned to Seifer, who looked defeated and was walking offstage. "Hey, Seifer!" Leafa called out, shrugging off her friends and walking up to him. "What? Gonna rub it in?" he scoffed. "No, of course not." Leafa replied, raising her hand up, "I just wanna say... that was a great match. You almost had me there. Let's battle some other time, kay?" Seifer looked at Leafa's hand, then smacked it away. "I don't need your sympathy." he replied, "Next time we meet, you're history." He walked off the stage, and his colleagues joined him as they walked away. "I guess I'll call that a thanks." Leafa assumed as her friends walked right next to her.

Later on, Leafa was given the championship belt and the trophy, which had four special gems on them. Her friends were back in the crowd again as everyone chanted her name once again. As she was waving at the crowd in victory, Recon was behind the three when he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned and was surprised to see Namine behind him. "Namine." He gasped, then she signaled him to quiet down, and he whispered, "What are you doing here?" "I need you and Leafa to come to the mansion soon." she responded, "The time to make our move is now." Recon nodded in response, and she turned and ran off.

Leafa was walking off the stage, fastening the belt around her waist so as to have her hands free in carrying the trophy. She looked around, and saw Hayner, Pence and Olette coming at her, but Recon on the other hand was making gestures with his hand, signaling that she had to come with him.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back." Leafa told the trio, "I gotta put this in a safe place." she indicated the trophy. "Sure, but come back soon." Pence replied, "We gotta celebrate your victory." "Meet us at the usual spot!" Hayner told her as she walked to Recon. "Sure thing." she responded, and she ran to Recon, who led her towards the mansion.

**Chapter 3: Meeting Riku and the Mission**

Recon told Leafa that Namine needed them ASAP. She didn't have to hear that twice, cause she wanted to see if this might lead her to Kirito and Asuna. They ran through the streets, through the crack that led to the forest, and towards the mansion. The let themselves in, and they dashed to the basement.

As soon as they entered the room, they saw that Namine wasn't the only one there. A man in a black coat stood there, with his face covered by a hood. Namine sat right at the computer. "Who's this guy?" Leafa questioned, looking suspiciously at the man. "Do not worry." Namine assured them, "This is a friend of mine and Sora's. His name is Riku." Both Leafa and Recon looked at the man that stood in front of them. He wasn't giving off the warm and friendly kind of personality.

Suddenly, a yellow dog that looked part blood hound bounded out of nowhere and jumped right around them, barking happily. "And where did he come from?" Leafa asked, seeing the dog in front of them." "This is Pluto." Namine introduced, "He is King Mickey's pet dog."

"Never mind that." Leafa said, ignoring the fact that this was a pet to a king, "What do you need us for?" "Organization XIII is making their move." Namine stated, "One of their members attempts to capture Kairi. We need to stop him at any cost." "How do you know this?" asked Recon. "I've been spying on the Organization." Riku replied, "I listen in carefully on what their saying, and one of them is planning to move in."

"It's up to you two to stop this member from taking Kairi away." Namine informed them, standing up and walking to them, "Are you up to the challenge?" Leafa and Recon looked at one another before Leafa responded, "If it means finding my brother again, count me in." "Where ever Leafa goes, I'll go!" Recon declared.

"Good." Namine confirmed, then she turned to Riku, "You lead them to where they need to be." Riku nodded, then he turned to one wall and waved his hand. A black portal opened in front of him. "This way." he said to Leafa and Recon, then he stepped into the portal. Pluto bounded after him without hesitation, with Leafa and Recon not too far behind.

The two were walking through the Corridor of Darkness, which was what Namine called them, following Riku and Pluto. Riku stopped and turned to them. "Let's get something straight." he warned them, "I know that one of you is a Keyblade wielder, and the other is a fragment of one." Recon winced at what he was called. "Kairi is someone I care for, so you two need to save her and stop the Organization member at all cost. Got it?" "We'll give it 110%." Leafa replied, feeling the sternness in Riku's voice. "You can count on us." Recon assured him. Riku nodded in response, and they proceeded onward through the darkness.

On Destiny Islands, Kairi was staring out at the sea. She looked worried and impatient. She had sent the message in a bottle a long time ago, and she hoped he get it soon. However, her patience was growing weary. "Maybe...waiting isn't good enough." she muttered.

"My thoughts exactly!" replied a echoing voice, surprising Kairi and causing her to look around, "If you have a dream, don't wait. Act. One of life's little rules. Got it memorized?" All of a sudden, a black portal appeared in front of her, and out stepped a man with spiky red hair and a black coat.

"Who are you?" Kairi asked suspiciously. "Axel." the man answered, "I happen to be an acquaintance of Sora's. Why don't we go see him?" He held his hand out so as to beckon in Kairi. "...Sora?" echoed Kairi. She looked hesitant on trusting the man in front of her, but still...

Suddenly, Kairi heard a dog's bark, and she turned to see Pluto bounding up to her happily, and spinning around in greeting her. Just as the two met, six Dusks appeared all around Kairi and Pluto. Pluto growled as he saw all of them, whereas Kairi looked scared.

"Don't listen to him!" shouted a girl's voice, which was followed by a whistle. Kairi turned and saw another black portal opening up from behind her. Then out of the portal leapt Leafa and Recon, their weapons at hand, slashing down two of the Dusks. They both ran together until they were between Kairi and Axel. "Who are..." Kairi started, then she saw the Fairy Harp in Leafa's hand, and gasped, "A Keyblade... does this mean you guys know Sora?" "Well, we've never actually met him." Leafa replied, turning her eyes to her as Pluto bounded for the portal, "But we know about him. We also know a friend of your's, Riku." "Riku?!" Kairi repeated, startled. "Hurry, get into the portal, now!" she yelled at her, "It'll lead you to safety."

"We've got something in common, Kairi." Axel said to her, sort of surprised at the two newcomers and the portal behind them, "You and I both miss someone we care about. Hey...I feel like we're friends already." The Dusks were drawing in closer on them. "Kairi, who are you gonna trust; this shady guy, or us who are protecting you?" Kairi looked at Leafa, then Recon, and finally the portal. She then decided, and made a run to the portal as Pluto jumped in, only to turn to Axel and say, "You're not acting very friendly!" She then turned around and dashed into the black portal which disappeared behind her.

"That takes care of that." Recon stated as he and Leafa backed away from the Dusks, "Now to deal with this guy." he nodded his head to Axel. Axel frowned at the both of them. "I was afraid something like this would happen." he sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "When I heard that there were two new Keyblade wielders, I knew they were gonna be trouble. Still..." he eyed the two as he continued, "You don't seem to fit the description that new guy was saying."

"New guy?" Recon repeated silently. "Well too bad." Leafa spat, "Your information has been miscalculated. There are three new Keyblade wielders now... well, three and a half." She looked at Recon, who felt a little ashamed that he had to be half. "Is that so?" Axel replied, "Well, I just have to get that number memorized...or maybe not." He waved his hand to the Dusk, who started to swerve and leap around as they neared the two.

"I can take care of these." Recon said, stepping forward, and surprising Leafa on his determination. "_Haste!_" shouted Recon, and he was surrounded by a red aura. He took one step, and he dashed at the Dusks at blinding speeds. With slashes unrecognizable to the naked eye, he passed right through the line of Nobodies, and with one flick of his dagger, all of them vanished. "Way to go, Recon!" Leafa cheered. Recon turned his head to her, and he looked somewhat embarrassed at the praise he was given. This was short lived, for a spinning, flaming disc came at him. He barely had time to react, and was flung backwards, soaring past Leafa and onto the ground.

"Recon!" shouted Leafa, seeing her friend land on the ground, groaning as he tried to get back up again. She turned back to Axel, who had the weapon in his hand, which happened to be a chakram. "You don't know who you're dealing with!" he growled, whipping out his other hand, producing flames, followed by another chakram. "Then mind telling us who you are?" Leafa asked as Recon steadily got to his feet again. Axel's body started to emanate flame a bit as he said, "I'm number VIII, Axel. Got it memorized? A-X-E-L." "Then I hope you get our names memorized." Leafa retorted. "My name is Leafa. This is Recon. And you better prepare to hurt!" Recon walked right next to Leafa, both of their weapons raised, prepared to fight.

**Chapter 4: Leafa & Recon vs. Axel**

In Twilight Town, Kairi was unconscious for only a short while. The she heard someone ask, "You okay?" Kairi groaned slightly as she raised herself up. She looked around, and noticed she was in a room of some kind, and three kids (Hayner, Pence and Olette), along with Pluto, were staring at her. "What..." she said, seeing the change in scenery. "You and that dog came flying out of a hole on the wall." Pence explained, "You nearly gave us heart attacks!"

Kairi got to her feet and looked around more thoroughly. Then she remembered. "Wait, was there anyone else here with me?" she asked them, "A girl with a Keyblade, or maybe a man in a black coat?" The trio looked at each other, then Olette said, "Well, we don't know of anybody with a black coat..." "...But we do know of a few people with Keyblades." Hayner explained. "Yeah," agreed Pence, listing off the people on his fingers, "There's Leafa, Kirito, Asuna, and Sora." "Sora?!" Kari gasped, "You know Sora?"

Back at the islands, Leafa and Recon were prepared to face off against Axel. Leafa charged in first, and attempted to slash him. He blocked her attack with his chakrams, and undergone a furious battle against her, blocking and slashing at one another. Leafa did a spin slash, causing Axel to jump back. He skidded to a halt, and produced flames around his chakrams, then tossed them at Leafa. She staggered a bit at the first hit, but was sent falling backwards after the second one.

"Burn, baby!" he shouted, producing two fireballs, and sent them flying at her. She looked horrified as she saw them coming, but then she heard Recon shout "_Aero!_" and a ball of wind blasted out in front of her, blocking the two fireballs. "Thanks, Recon!" Leafa told him as she stood up. Recon got to her side, his dagger raised as he replied, "I told ya, I'm here to protect you!" Leafa smiled at him, then turned sternly at Axel. "Let's take him on together." she stated. Recon nodded, and the two charged in.

The backed each other up as they were attacking Axel, who was fighting evenly with the both of them. He threw his chakrams at them, but Recon blocked both of them as Leafa charged in, finally landing a hit on him with her Keyblade. "_Aero!_" she shouted, not wasting any time as she sent a ball of wind at Axel, knocking him back even further.

Recon charged in, the red aura of the Haste spell surrounding him. He attempted to attack Axel, but he spun his flaming chakrams around him like a barrier, sending a singed Recon backwards. He then used the flames he produced two produce a bigger fireball at Leafa. She attempted to block it with her Keyblade, but she was sent flying instead, scorched from the attack.

The two were lying on the ground, injured. Axel laughed at the sight of both of them on the ground. "I told ya; if you can't take the heat, stay out of my way!" he quoted, prepared to attack them once more. He tossed his chakrams at them, but Leafa reacted by grabbing Recon and leaping to one side, narrowly dodging the attack.

As Axel got his chakrams unstuck from the ground, Leafa and Recon got to their feet again, panting slightly. "We...have to take him out somehow." Recon mumbled, trying his best to stay up. "Yeah, but we need to think this through carefully." Leafa replied, seeing Axel ready to attack them again. _If only I could learn the full potential of my Keyblade._ She thought, _I just wish there was an instruction book on this thing or something..._ She saw Axel's chakrams fire up again.

Suddenly, her Keyblade started to glow slightly, and it seem to attract itself with Recon's dagger. The two looked at what was happening, then looked at one another. Not sure of what they were gonna do, they firmly nodded to each other, and they clashed their weapons to one another. This triggered them to share their powers as one, and for their strength to get stronger. Primarily relying on instincts, these two had just started to perform a Limit Break.

The first thing that happened was that they suddenly produced their fairy wings. Then as one, they flew at Axel, who flung his chakrams at them once again. They dodged both of them effortlessly, then they went to work. As they flew around him, Recon was delivering a barrage of Aeros at him while Leafa was cutting him with razor-wind slashes. Recon was using 'Wind Barrage', while Leafa delivered 'Sylvian Slash'. Finally, as one they stood in front of him, and started to use Alfheim magical incantation in unison, forming the words around them, then producing a green gale of energy, surrounding them, and blowing Axel way with the powerful burst, damaging him greatly. Afterwards, their wings disappeared, the wind died down, and they returned to normal. The Limit Break was called 'Alfheim Break' and the final move was called 'Sylph Storm'.

"What did we just do?" Recon asked, bewildered. "I don't know." Leafa asked, seeing that she no longer had the wings, "But it was very cool! I gotta memorize that." "Hey...that's my line." gasped Axel. The two turned to see Axel get to his feet again, weakened by the attack. He magically brought back his chakrams into his hands again. "You ready for more?" Leafa warned him, lifting her weapon at him as Recon raised his. "Heh." Axel chuckled, "Think I'll pass on that."

From behind him, a dark portal opened, and he started to walk backwards towards it. Leafa realized what he was attempting to do, and made a dash for him. She was just about to reach him, but Axel tossed a chakram at her, stopping her for just a moment until he entered the portal and disappeared along with it. The chakram disappeared in a burst of flames.

Leafa and Recon stood there, bewildered at what just happened. Leafa stood frozen in her place for a while, then she shouted to above, "Namine! Riku! Help us! We need to get back to Twilight Town to see Kairi!" There was silence for a while, then a dark portal opened up to one side. Leafa and Recon looked relieved that they heard them, and they charged in.

As soon as they got through, Riku was waiting for them on the other side. "Where is she?" was the first thing Leafa asked. "She is with those three friends in Twilight Town." Riku responded, producing another gateway, "This will lead you close to them. Hurry!" "Thanks!" Recon replied, and the two dashed into the gate, arriving at the sandlot again, where they were finishing putting away the stage.

"Now where are they?" Recon asked, looking around. Leafa thought for a while, the she remembered, "We were gonna meet them at the usual spot. This way!" she dashed ahead, with Recon in tow, towards the spot.

Meanwhile, Kairi had just finished telling Hayner, Pence and Olette about her relationship to Sora, and how she was trying to search for him. "Such a romantic story!" sighed Olette. "If you stick around, Sora's bound to show up." Pence assured her. "Yeah, he said he's coming back." Hayner told her. "Okay." Kairi replied, smiling. She was gonna reunite with Sora again, and soon.

"What took you so long, Kairi?" asked Axel's echoing voice. A black portal opened up in front of the group, and Axel popped out of it, surprising everyone. "Somehow I just knew you'd be here." he said as the others stood up, ready to defend themselves, "I tell ya, Kairi, you've got a lot of guts, jumping right into the darkness like that."

He started to walk forward towards Kairi. Hayner and Pence both charged at him, but he merely shrugged to one side so as to avoid each of them. He walked up to Kairi and grabbed her arm, and started to drag her back to the black portal. "Let go of me!" Kairi grunted, struggling to break free of his grip, "Let go!"

"Kairi!" Leafa shouted. She and Recon dashed through the curtain door, and saw Axel carrying Kairi away. "Oh, no you don't!" Leafa yelled, "_Haste!_" she started to glow red, and made a blinding dash at Axel as he and Kairi entered the portal. She entered in full pelt, with Pluto came shortly behind them. Recon ran to it, but the portal disappeared, leaving him standing there with everyone else, petrified. "Leafa!" he shouted.

Inside the Corridor of Darkness, Leafa stood there, her Keyblade raised at Axel, who had Kairi in front of him like a shield. Pluto stood next to Leafa. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" he asked her amusingly. "Let go of Kairi right now!" Leafa commanded, ready to strike at him. "Love to, but I can't." Axel replied, "See, Kairi here is the key to finding a friend of mine." Kairi turned her head to Axel, confused.

"Are you talking about Sora?" she asked him. "Well, yes and no." Axel replied, "Though I am looking for someone related to Sora." "Yeah, and who would that be?" Leafa asked, shuffling forward a bit. "Roxas." Axel answered. The name wasn't familiar to Leafa, though it was to Kairi. She had only heard his voice once, but that was it.

"Listen," Leafa growled, "I don't know how Kairi is gonna find this Roxas character, but if you want to find him, go look for him yourself!" She took a charge at Axel, ready to circle around him and to hit him from behind, so as not to hurt Kairi. Axel, however, had other idea. He waved his hand in front of him, and a black portal opened up in front of him, blocking Leafa's path. Leafa gasped, and tried to stop, but she stumbled and fell through the portal. The portal closed up, leaving Axel, Kairi and Pluto left in the Corridor of Darkness.

"Now, come Kairi." Axel said, yanking her hand as he opened up another portal, "Time you help me find Roxas again." Kairi struggled as she was dragged in, Pluto bounding from behind.

Back in the usual spot of Twilight Town, Recon was on his knees, absolutely terrified about Leafa's safety. Hayner, Pence and Olette stood around him, also worried about Leafa and Kairi's safety. Then out of nowhere, a black portal opened up. The group looked at it, hoping for a miracle. Then out of it came Leafa, who was still in mid-stumble, and fell onto her hands and knees, dropping her Keyblade. The portal closed up behind her, and the four got over to Leafa's side.

"Leafa!" cried Recon, reaching out for her, "Thank goodness you're ok!" However, instead of looking happy, Leafa slammed her fist onto the ground, causing Recon to recoil.

"I can't believe it." she muttered silently, "I almost had her, then that fiery asshole had to trick me like that." She lifted her head, and the group saw tears in her eyes. "Dammit!" she shouted, "I couldn't save her! Why? WHYYYYY?!" She bursted into tears as the others gathered around her, trying to console her.

**Chapter 5: Leafa's Resolve**

After a while, Recon brought Leafa back to the mansion, where she sat, almost in a trance, with Namine and Riku around her in Namine's room. Recon had just finished explaining what happened from his point of view, then Leafa struggled to tell them what happened in the Corridor before she was kicked out.

"It's all my fault." she sobbed, "I'm sorry, everyone. I let you all down." "It's not your fault." Recon told her, even though he had been saying it over a dozen times. "I was so close." Leafa said, looking at her hands, "If I could've just gotten around that portal, I would've..." she then placed her hands over her face, and continued to sob.

For a while, the only sound that could be heard was Leafa's sobs. Finally, Riku huffed, "Fine then. Get defeated." Recon and Namine looked startled at him. "If this is enough to take you out, then maybe DiZ was wrong about the three of you. You and those two with Sora." "Riku..." Namine said. "Hey, that's out of line!" Recon snapped, "Leafa is way more powerful than that. It's just that...you were the one pushing us to get Kairi back no matter what. Surely you are to blame of this!"

Riku was silent. Leafa's sobs stopped. "While it is true that I wanted Kairi to be safe from being kidnapped, that doesn't mean she is lost forever." Riku said in defense, "The Organization will keep her alive in order to anger Sora, and to find Roxas." "Though it is obvious she is in the Organization's stronghold, we don't know the layout of the place." Namine added, "It will take much more time, but we will find her again."

"Yeah, and speaking of Roxas, just who is he?" Recon asked. Leafa was frozen, her hands still over her face as she waited for the answer. "Roxas is a very special Nobody." Namine answered.

"You said that Nobodies don't have hearts, right?" Recon recalled, "But there are special Nobodies that have human forms. You said yourself that you are a Nobody, right?" Namine nodded. "And that Nobodies are just shells to people. If that's the case, whose body does Roxas belong to?" There was a pause, then Namine answered, "Sora's." Recon looked startled Leafa didn't make any sudden movements.

"Wait, so Roxas is Sora's Nobody?" Recon repeated, "Does that mean that Sora is..." "Sora and Roxas are one again." Namine explained, "After I collected the memories of Sora, Roxas was the last piece to go back. He and Sora are now whole again. The Organization wants to destroy that connection so they can control Roxas, for he, too, can wield the Keyblade, being Sora's Nobody."

"There is one thing that doesn't make sense." Recon said, "What's so special that they need someone with a Keyblade working for them?" "The Keyblade can collect hearts." Namine answered, "Every time a Heartless is defeated, their heart goes to building a greater deity; Kingdom Hearts. What the Organization plans to use that for, I don't know.

"That is why they've taken Kairi." Riku added, "The outcome of that will draw Sora's anger to the point where he will continuously destroy Heartless, releasing their hearts to build Kingdom Hearts. This applies also to Kirito, Asuna, and you Leafa." Leafa didn't move an inch. She was frozen like a statue. "Furthermore, if that fails to work," Riku continued, "They plan to sever Roxas from Sora again so as to control his Nobody, and he would collect hearts for them."

Riku looked at Leafa as he said, "If you truly want to make up for this mistake, you must keep moving forward. If there's the slightest chance of saving Kairi, would you take it? I'm pretty sure Sora would, though I don't know enough about Kirito and Asuna. What do you think they would do?"

For a while, everyone looked at Leafa, who didn't move. She was thinking about the question. Finally, she lowered her hands, then she answered, "My brother, thick-headed and stubborn as can be, wouldn't give up on something like that. Asuna wouldn't do that either." She stood up and started at the group. Even though tear marks were still on her face, her expression was set; she was determined.

"Riku," she said, turning to him, "I ask that you would give me a second chance. I know I failed you before, but I'll make sure Kairi is safe and sound in the end of this. Namine, I'll do what ever I can to stop Organization XIII once and for all. After all, who's to say they won't find a way into my world? If they discovered a way, then it would put both of our dimensions in jeopardy. After Axel said something about that 'new guy', I'm pretty sure there is somebody in my world that joined their ranks. Who? I don't know. At this point, I am not doing this for my benefit, but for everyones benefits; yours, Sora's, Kairi's, brother's, Asuna's, everyones! I'll help you guys out, and defeat the bad guys!"

For a while, everyone was silent from Leafa's speech. Finally, Namine smiled. "I'm so happy that you finally accept this duty." She said to her. "I knew you had it in you." Riku stated, "I just had to push it a bit." "Leafa..." muttered Recon, grabbing both of her hands into his, "I may not be much, but I'll still help you out with defeating Organization XIII. I'll stand by your side until the very end."

"Recon, you got to stop doubting yourself." Leafa scolded him, "You have way more potential than what you think. Heck, if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have held my own against Axel. Plus, that combination technique we did was incredible. I couldn't have asked for a better person to work with, especially if he is my... my... my boyfriend." At this, Recon's face went totally red. This was the first time that Leafa called him her boy friend. He beamed in happiness.

"In that case, I better start training harder than ever!" he boomed, "Leafa, could you help me with my training? Let's get stronger together, and find more magic to use in battle, ok?" Leafa smiled and nodded. "I'll keep you in touch if I find any news about the Organization or Kairi." Namine assured them. "I'll keep watch here and there." Riku said, turning his back to them, "Take care, Leafa. Recon." He then produced a portal and stepped into it, vanishing.

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Leafa asked excitedly, "Let's go find Hayner and the others. I'm sure they'll help us out!" Recon nodded, and the two ran out of the room and down the stairs. Namine stepped to the windows, and watched as the two charged through the gate, and out back into town again. "Those two have such strong hearts." she said, "I can see why you are so interested in them, along with Kirito's and Asuna's hearts. Is this what you wanted, DiZ?"

She turned around and there, sitting in a chair was the man whose heads were wrapped in bandages. "Indeed." DiZ responded, "I believe these people have far exceeded what I had guessed. Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Leafa and Recon. All of them will benefit the downfall of Organization XIII, and even more things to boot. All we can do is watch and hope that they are capable of facing the dangers ahead.

"But what about the Organization's newest accomplice?" Namine asked. "That accomplice is a different story." DiZ replied, "I'm afraid that he might be a more dangerous foe to deal with. From what I have read, I believe I know who's blackened heart became a Nobody for the Organization. Let's just hope the Keyblade wielders are ready to face him once again."

**Well, that's another story done. Leafa and Recon's part in this tale hasn't ended yet. Though this does add an interesting twist to such a small cutscene featuring Kairi and Axel. I especially enjoyed making the battle against Axel. Tell me what you think**

**Up next is Halloween Town, and this is gonna be around Asuna. A girl is putting her pride on the line again, only this time it's out of fear. She is terrified of ghosts and spooky things like that, so imagine how she would feel in Halloween Town with Jack Skellington, his ghostly dog, Zero, and everything else.**

**I'm, of course, planning to do drawings of them in costume, and I will add the Final Mix addition of giving them Christmas Attire, too. I'll eventually put them on my Deviant Arts profile, so stay tuned for that.**

**As for the Votes for Kirito's Summon, here is the tally so far:**

**Wreck-it Ralph: 2**

**Yui: 2**

**Tarzan: 1**

**Quasimodo: 1**

**Silicia & Pina (SAO characters): 1**

**So far, a good start off, but I want to see more people voting. Give ideas on who to pick for Kirito's summon. It can be one that hasn't been listed yet, so vote! Leave a comment and wait for my next update.**


	14. Ep 12: Halloween Town: Asuna's Fear!

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to upload the next episode. I had to deal with a few tests last week, so I didn't have much time working on this. Still here it is, the next episode.**

**Also for this certain world, I'm bringing in a good friend of mine from a different anime. Here is my special guest, Brook from One Piece!**

**Brook: YOHOHOHOHOHOHO! It's great to be here, Jacob! I enjoy reading this tale, for it boggles my mind! Ah, but I'm a skeleton, I don't have a brain. YOHOHOHOHOHOHO!**

**Author: Hehehe. Why am I such a sucker for his jokes? Also, if you want to see the pictures of Kirito, Asuna and Yui in their new garments, feel free to check them out at my Deviant Arts website. I haven't posted the team in their Christmas attire yet, but don't worry, I'll get to it.**

**Brook: Ooh, do you have one with Asuna showing her panties?**

**Author: I'M NOT THAT KIND OF ARTIST! Ahem, anyways, Brook here has also gave me and idea for something; I've decided to make the closing music Brook's 'New World' song. I feel that works in this, and plus I need some soul from the Soul King himself!**

**Brook: Oh, yeah! I hope you all enjoy my soulful music! But for now...**

**Brook & Author: Enjoy this episode!**

**Chapter 1: Fear of Friends**

The five heroes have just left Agrabah, and were back in the Gummi ship. They were about to choose a destination when Chip and Dale appeared on the monitor. "Looky there! Twilight Town!" squeaked Chip. "Yep, I can see it! It's back again!" Dale stated.

"All right, we can go back again!" Sora cheered. "We can go see Hayner and the others again!" Goofy stated. "Hang on," Kirito said, "We should take care of the worlds around us before going back to Twilight Town. Let's not waste a trip here." "Kirito's right." Asuna agreed, "Let's take the other path to the next world." "Ok." moaned Sora, who did seem anxious to see Twilight Town again.

Donald allowed Kirito to drive all the way to the special gate, just to get the feel of the Gummi ship. Once they entered the gate, Donald took over, and they were in a place much like the Radical Highway, only this one had broken paths. It was fast and exciting, though, and they eventually made it through without a problem.

When they arrived at the other side, they found themselves circling a world that looked like one giant jack-o-lantern. "W-What is that?" Asuna asked frightfully. "Hey, that Halloween Town, right?" Sora asked, looking down at the new world. "Yeah, it sure is!" Donald answered. Kirito looked intrigued. Asuna, on the other hand, looked nervous. She remembered Sora explaining to them about the place, and it was suppose to be full of ghosts, ghouls and other creepy things.

"What are we waiting for?" Goofy asked excitedly. He, Sora, Kirito and Donald walked up onto the transporter as Yui set up the coordinates. "Come on, Asuna!" Sora said to her, who didn't move from her spot. She then turned to them and tried her best to stay calm as she said, "You know, maybe I can take care of the ship while you're there. I'm sure you don't need me as much in this world..."

Kirito walked down, and grabbed Asuna by the arm, and lifted her off her seat. "Asuna, come on." He said, dragging her to the transporter, "It may not be as bad as you think." "Gee, Asuna, are you scared of goin'?" Goofy asked her. "O-of course not!" she stammered, "I just don't think that..." "Then there's nothing to worry about." Sora said abruptly, "Is it ready to go, Yui." "Ready!" Yui answered, flying over to them. The last thing on Asuna's face was a sign of absolute panic before she and everyone else teleported away.

_(Cue Opening theme)_

The moment they arrived, they looked all around. There were gravestones, leafless trees, it was dark with a full moon, and a scary scarecrow with a pumpkin head on top, with a sign that said 'Halloween Town' on it. Kirito and a scared Asuna looked all around, then they noticed that everyones clothes had changed. Sora looked like he dressed up as a vampire. Donald turned into a mummy, with a gap in his body. Goofy could be Frankenstein's monster. Kirito clothes made him look like Gleam Eyes from back in SAO. Asuna turned into a witch with purple clothing. Yui's dress became blue and flame like, making her a will-o-the-wisp.

"Wha-what just happened?" Kirito asked, looking down at his clothes, then touching his large horns on his head. "This is just another world rule." Yui answered, seeing her new look, "This world makes us dressed up for Halloween." "Well, at least mine isn't as scary." Asuna said, looking at her uniform, "I don't have warts or a long pointy nose, so maybe this isn't as bad. But still..." she looked at the atmosphere around her, "I wish it wasn't so...gloomy." "Hey, Sora. I like your new look!" Kirito complimented him, ignoring Asuna's words. Sora turned and smiled, displaying his vampire fangs.

"So is this Halloween Town?" Kirito asked. "Well, it sure does look like Hallowee...Wha?" Donald started, but he was cut off as he saw the pathway ahead of them. Everyone turned and saw something that seemed out of place; sparkling lights on the walls on either side of the path. "Are those...suppose to be there?" Kirito asked, "They don't look like Halloween decorations." Sora looked somewhat confused at the sight as well.

Suddenly, something cold came from behind Asuna, and as it past in front of her, she freaked. "GHOOOOOOOST!" she screamed, leaping into Kirito's hands as what looked like a ghost dog with a shining red nose past by them. Asuna's scream startled Sora, Donald and Goofy, then they saw who it was. "Hey, it's Zero!" Sora said, seeing the dog circle around him, "How've you been, boy?" "You're friends with a ghost?" Kirito asked, still holding up Asuna, who acted like a certain dog in a cartoon he watched when he was little. Zero flew off along the pathway, beckoning them to move forward.

"Uh, Asuna? The ghost dog is gone." Kirito told her, who had her eye's shut. Asuna opened them to see where she was at, and that the others were looking at her. She shoved herself off of Kirito's hands and got to her feet. "D-Don't worry about me." She stammered, "It just...surprised me. Yeah, that's it. I just didn't realized there would be g-ghosts around here." She walked along the pathway, her head held up with dignity, and with Sora, Donald and Goofy following her.

As Kirito started to walk, Yui flew right next to him. "Is mama gonna be ok?" she asked him. "I think so." Kirito responded, seeing Asuna promptly walk ahead of them, "You and I both know she won't reveal her fears to the others. She has too much pride." As he walked, one of the stone pillars fell down near the other four, frightening Asuna a bit. "Still..." Kirito continued, "this world might make things difficult for her." Yui looked worryingly at Asuna as they caught up with the crew.

The pathway was a bit short, but they made it into town, and saw the town square. There was a fountain with a scary figure-head that poured green water, a guillotine, dark lamp posts, and several things that made the place look more like a Halloween town. The houses were black from afar with lights through the windows. There was also a make-shift platform with a ramp and some stairs that led up to it. There were more sparkling lights around the square. those two things seemed out of place compared to everything else.

Asuna couldn't help but tremble a bit as she looked around. Kirito and Sora looked at the ramp. "What's that for?" Sora asked. "I was gonna ask you that question." Kirito said. They looked at it for a while, then they heard something, and it too was out of place; sleigh-bells. The crew looked around, wondering where it was coming from.

"Look!" Yui cried, pointing at the sky. "It's Jack!" squawked Donald, looking at the direction Yui was pointing at. Everybody looked up and saw what it was. Kirito looked skeptically as what looked like three skeletal reindeer were flying in the air, carrying a sleigh, who's body was a coffin. There was also a metal barrel attached to the back of the sleigh, and a tall bald man was sitting in the seat of the coffin.

The group watched, with Asuna clinging onto Kirito from behind, as the sleigh twisted its' way down onto the ramp, the reindeer's hooves clattering as they landed. It came to a stop in front of the group, and Kirito, Asuna and Yui now met the man, or what looked like a man, in front of them.

He was an extremely thin, yet tall, skeleton man. His legs were twice as long as his torso. He had no hair, no eyes in his sockets, not even nostrils. His mouth was thin and wide. His uniform was a macabre black suit with white pinstripes, long, spiky frills around his long neck, and knee-long coattails. His pants matched his suit, and he had polished black shoes. This man was Jack Skellington.

He dropped the reigns and stood up, demonstrating his height. He saw the group and waved at them. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy!" he addressed happily, "Welcome back, and Merry Christmas!" Kirito looked confused at these words, whereas Asuna shrunk behind him as Jack walked down the stairs. "Merry Christmas?" questioned Sora, "Don't you mean 'Happy Halloween'?"

"Of course." Jack replied, seeing Sora, then seeing Kirito, Asuna and Yui, "Halloween greetings from Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King." He then turned his head back to them, then made a scary face at the trio of newcomers. Yui wasn't fazed by this. Kirito flinched a bit. Asuna down-right freaked out, screaming as she started rolling backwards into the wall and flattening herself against it.

"Ooh, that's good frightened face!" Jack pointed out, seeing Asuna's expression. "Wh-wh-who said anything about being afraid?!" she stammered, "I just, uh... thought you were gonna attack us. Right, that's it." "Me? Attack you?" Jack asked, confused, "Don't worry, I won't attack a dear lady like you..." "That's good to hear." Asuna sighed. "...I'll just frighten you!" Jack ended making another scary face, scaring Asuna silly.

Jack turned to Kirito and Yui. "You three seem to be new around here. What are your names?" "I'm Kirito." Kirito said, raising his hand to Jack, "That's Asuna back there, and this is Yui." Yui bowed deeply to Jack in a sign of greeting. Asuna was getting to her feet, shivering, and waved a hand at Jack.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet the three of you." Jack said, shaking Kirito's hand, "Forgive me if I can't frighten you more. I'm in a Christmas mood. You see, I'm running the show again this year..." Asuna didn't mind not being frightened more, however Kirito was questionable.

"What show?" Kirito asked. "Why the Halloween show, of course!" Jack replied, "The show that brings fear and joy to all the people and children around here." Kirito felt Asuna's hands gripping his shoulder pads, and guessed that maybe he got the fear part down right. "But first," Jack continued, "I need Sandy Claws' blessing, so I'm off to Christmas Town."

The five heroes and Yui huddled together. "Sandy Claws?" questioned Sora. "I think he means Santa Claus." Goofy guessed. "You mean Santa Claus is here in this world, too?" Kirito asked, "Well, there goes that disbelief." "I-I wouldn't mind going to that town right now." Asuna said hurriedly, "It would be nice for a change of scenery."

Jack ran to the fountain, and hopped onto the edge of it, circling around to them. "Aren't these decorations wonderful?" he asked, waving his hands around the town square, "This year, Halloween Town's going to handle Christmas too! But first..." he walked up to the crew again, "We have to visit Sally. She's working on something no self-respecting Santa Claus can do without. Come along- I'll show you!" He waved his hand to the others as he walked off.

"A Halloween Town Christmas..." Sora said, Donald and Goofy puzzled at the concept. The gang looked at all of the features around the town, from the guillotine, to the freaky toys, to the skeletal reindeer who turned to them and laughed eerily. Donald and Goofy joined Asuna in being frightened at this. Sora, Kirito and Yui weren't frightened by it. "Wanna go check it out?" Kirito asked the group. "Sure, why not?" Sora replied. Donald and Goofy sighed, unable to persuade them.

"Hurry, come on!" Jack shouted. Sora, Donald and Goofy walked off. Kirito looked to Asuna, who was still behind him, her eyes shut, gripping to his shoulders. "Hey, Asuna, are you gonna admit it to them or not?" Kirito asked. "Admit what?" Asuna asked, opening her eyes at him. "Asuna..." Kirito said in a stern tone, "We have been together for three years. I know you." Asuna looked somewhat ashamed at her attitude. "If you tell them that you are afraid, I'm sure they'll understand."

"I can't..." Asuna muttered, letting go of Kirito's shoulders. "Why not?" Kirito asked. "If you know me well, you know why." she answered, and with that she walked off towards the others. Yui flew onto Asuna's shoulder, trying to make her feel better. Kirito watched her walk off, sighed deeply, then followed her.

**Chapter 2: Travel to Christmas Town**

They walked to a tower-like structure and opened the metal door. In there, they saw gizmos, books, a table full of machine parts, and a bald man in a lab coat and wheelchair looking at a large book. From this, they gathered that they were inside a scientist's lab. There were also three kids in masks and Halloween costumes and masks gathered around another machine part, trying to pick it up.

The grouped walked to the doctor as he lifted the top of of his head like a lid, and started to scratch his brain. This made Asuna shudder, and Kirito seemed a bit repulsed. "Hello, Doctor!" greeted Jack, "Where's Sally?"

"Can't you see that I'm in the middle of an experiment?" he asked angrily, flipping the lid of his head shut. He then moved his wheelchair with the controls on it over to the table with all the machine parts. Sora, Kirito and the gang watched as they saw the kid moved their machine part over to the table.

Asuna and Kirito heard a door open, and they looked up to see a women standing there. Asuna squeaked as she hid behind Kirito again, for she wasn't normal. Her skin was pale blue, and she had stitches all over her body, which made them think she was once dead, then reincarnated. She had long, brown hair. Her dress was sewn together with different patterned cloths, and her shoes were black with white and black-striped socks.

She too watched as the kids stopped while carrying the machine part. "Hey, this is way too heavy!" stated the devil-dressed boy. "Then let's toss it!" suggested the witch-dressed girl. The trio nodded in agreement. "You do and you'll be sorry!" warned the scientist, "Now bring it over here."

The kids either didn't listen or didn't care, cause with a cry of "Heave ho!", they threw the machine part over onto the table. It landed hard, and it started to spark like crazy, then it exploded, surprising everyone and petrifying the scientist. The woman at the door sighed in despair. The three kids laughed at what they did, and took off to the door. "Imbeciles!" shouted the scientist, "Now my experiment is ruined!"

The women came down the small stairs as the kids ran passed her and out the door. Jack walked up to the woman. "Sally! Did you finish it?" Jack asked her, "I want to show my good friends." "I'm sorry, Jack. I-I need a little more time." Sally responded apologetically, looking down. "Oh..." Jack said, then he bended down to pat her shoulder, "Well, that's all right. Just as long as it's ready for Christmas!" Jack stood up and walked to the doors as Sally muttered, "But...Jack..."

Jack turned to the five heroes. "I'd best be off." Jack said to them, "I've got to go get Sandy Claws, right away! Wonderful to see you again. Goodbye for now." _See with what? _Kirito asked as Jack opened the door, _He doesn't have any eyes._ **(Author with Brook: SKULL JOOOKE!)**

"Go get Santa Claus...?" Sora echoed, his mind going off there again. "Please, Sora." pleaded Sally, "I'm afraid something terrible will happen if Jack goes through with this." "You can say that again!" Donald agreed. "Sora?" Goofy asked, seeing Sora looking up, apparently in lala-land as he thought about Santa. Kirito walked up to him and waved his hand in front of Sora's face. When he got no response, he punched him on the shoulder, bringing back to reality again. "Ouch!" Sora yelped.

"You can count on us to stop Jack from doing anything crazy." Kirito said as he turned to Sally while Sora rubbed his shoulder, "We haven't fully introduced ourselves yet; I'm Kirito. That's Asuna and the one one her shoulder is Yui." he waved to Asuna, who stood in her spot, slightly nerved from seeing a woman too patched up to be alive. "Nice to meet you." Sally responded, and she and Kirito shook hands. Then Sally's hand came off her body, still holding onto Kirito. Asuna screamed in fright and ran off to the other side of the room, with Yui flying off her shoulder. "Uh...Ok, this is new." Kirito said, handing back the hand to Sally, who took it and placed back to normal.

Just then, Jack came back in, drawing the group's attention. "Are those strange-looking fellows in the town square with you?" "Huh? What 'fellows'?" questioned Sora. "You know, the ones who wanted to spoil Halloween AND Christmas?" Jack described, "What are they called again... Heartless?" "They're definitely not with us." Sora denied, "But Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna and I can get rid of them for you. And then we can go see Santa!"

"Ahem!" coughed Kirito. Sora turned to him as he saw Donald, Goofy and him looking at Sora sternly. "But first, the Heartless!" he declared in defense, seeing their faces. Kirito turned to Asuna, who was still at the other side of the room. "Come on, Asuna." he said, waving to her, "Let's deal with the Heartless, ok?" Asuna nodded, and walked shakily passed Sally as she walked with the others to the door.

When they walked outside, they saw tons of mummy-like Heartless, which Yui described later as Wight Knights. Zero was flying all around, and a man with a hat as tall as his body, and he had two faces on his head. "Now hear this, you-you things!" he shouted through a speaker, "Leave Halloween Town at once, by order of the mayor!" The Heartless gave no response to him. "Jack? Where are you?" the mayor shouted, "I'm only an elected official- I can't handle this by myself."

Jack walked up to him, with Zero at his side. The mayor turned his head around in a full 180 to him. "Jack!" he shouted. "We're on it!" Sora stated as he and everyone else pulled out their weapons. The group charged in at the Heartless, all except for Asuna, who was scared of the new mummy Heartless. However, she did bring backup by firing Blizzard and Thunder attacks from her Keyblade.

Kirito, Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jack all dealt with the Heartless. Jack was well experienced as a fighter. He was quite a magic user like Asuna, and does pretty much the same Blizzard and Thunder attacks, only his Fire attack involves three flaming pumpkins as he charges at the Heartless.

Their environment worked to the heroes' advantage, from gates that swung open to hurt the Heartless, to the guillotine, to the fountain spewing out hot water at the Heartless, and other such things. Even Zero entered the battle by going right through the Heartless and freezing them. They eventually defeated all the Heartless.

When they were done fighting, they grouped up together. "How is Sandy Claws supposed to relax with all this going on?" Jack asked, looking off into the distance. He turned to the group, and idea coming to mind. "That's it, fellows!" he said, "Sandy Claws needs bodyguards. Are you up to the task?"

"Us?" Donald squawked. "Yeah!" cheered Sora, only excited to see Santa. Kirito and Donald looked at him, frowning at his behavior. "If it means getting away from here, then I'm in." Asuna stated. Kirito looked to Asuna, now sighing at her behavior.

"All right, bodyguards!" Jack declared, "Christmas Town is this way! The doorway is in the woods just past the graveyard!" The gang charged out of the town square and out of town, through the graveyard, where they dealt with more Wight Knights and new Heartless called Driller Moles, which had wheels instead of legs and a drill for a nose. The gang dealt with them and ran into the woods. It took them a while, but they made it to an open area, where they saw doors on trees all around them, each with different looking doors on them, depending on what holiday town they led to. In the center of it was a door that looked like a decorated Christmas tree.

"Here it is! The door to Christmas Town." Jack said, waving to the door, "The spooks of Halloween can get so tiresome year after year. I wanted something new, and I found this!" Sora bent over to get a closer look at the door. Asuna and Kirito were also interested in this. "Beyond this door is a world filled with wonders the likes of which you've never seen! At first I couldn't believe my eyes! Everything was so fresh and exciting!"

"C'mon! Just open it!" Sora said longingly. Jack grabbed the ornament on the door that was the knob, and opened up the door. He waved them in, and Sora and Asuna ran in first and jumped into it. Kirito, Donald and Goofy ran after them, looking down the deep hole, looked at one another, then jumped in after them, with Jack far behind them. They begun spinning within the swirling mist of snowflakes and such as they dove down the portal.

There was a bright light, and Asuna and Sora flew out of a pumpkin head's mouth into some snow. They started to raise their head, but they were toppled upon by Donald, Goofy and Kirito. Sora and Asuna shoved them off of them and looked around. "Cool!" Sora gasped. Asuna was also baffled. They were surrounded by glittering hills of snow, and there was a path that led to a glowing village down below, with a big red building that stuck out from their view. The sky was clear with some aurora lights, and there were pine trees scattered about.

The group got up, and they looked at one another, realizing that their clothes had changed. Sora's clothes made him look like Santa with black clothes. Donald looked like a snowman. Goofy became a reindeer. Kirito was made to look somewhat like a Jack Frost figure. Asuna became a female Santa with blue clothes. Yui became somewhat of a snowflake. "Guess our clothes change depending on what town were in." Kirito assumed, seeing his body and feeling his crystalized hair.

"It seems loads cheerier than in Halloween Town." Asuna sighed in relief, not caring about her uniform as much as the environment. "So where's Santa?" Donald asked as Jack came out of the pumpkin door. "In his workshop." Jack answered, pointing to the large red building, then walking forward, "Shall we?" "We shall." Asuna answered, walking ahead of the group, with the others following behind.

"Notice how Asuna's behavior changed once we left Halloween Town." Kirito whispered to Yui, "You think after SAO, she'd grow a backbone to those kinds of things." "True..." Yui agreed, "Mama doesn't seem to like that place. I just hope she gets use to it before it's too late." Kirito nodded in agreement as they walked through the snow.

**Chapter 3: Meeting Santa Claus**

The grouped walked down the snowy path to Christmas Town. They arrived an looked around. The town was basically white, green and red, with candy cane as pillars and posts, sparkling lights, and a merry-go-round in the middle of the place. They paused for a second, then Heartless appeared in front of them, including a large, jack-in-a-box like one called Graveyard which could turn into a Toy Soldier, depending who popped out.

"Here, too?!" Sora exclaimed as they pulled out their weapons. "Even Christmas isn't safe from these things!" Kirito said exasperatedly. "En garde, loyal bodyguards!" Jack said to them, and the group charged at the Heartless. The big Heartless was very troublesome, since as Toy Soldier, it handled long range, and as Graveyard, it could deal with close range. Asuna had no choice but to deal with them in her Wisdom Form, dodging from side to side as she dealt with them. It took a while, but they were finally able to defeat all of them.

"Christmas is in big trouble!" Donald stated. "You can say that again." Kirito agreed, drinking a potion, for he got hit hard out there. "Gawrsh, we can't let anything bad happen to Christmas." Goofy said to them, who nodded in response. Jack walked up to the group, and pointed to the red building, saying, "That's where Sandy Claws lives." "Then let's get going!" Sora said eagerly, and ran to the entrance, the others following behind.

When they entered inside, they walked through the entrance, rounded the corner, and there he was. Santa Claus was sitting in a green and red-lined chair, reading a long list. The room looked like it could be the living room, with elves walking in and out the place. All were amazed to see Santa, especially Kirito and Asuna.

"Well, hello everyone." Santa said, looking up to see them, "Did you come to see if you're on my 'nice' list?" Kirito doubted he was actually on the list, regardless if he was naughty or nice. Being from a different dimension, he assumed that he and Asuna wouldn't be on the list.

Sora, Donald and Goofy walked up to him. "You name?" Santa asked, addressing Sora. "Um, Sora, sir." he responded. Santa then mumbled a bit as he looked down his list, then he looked up, finding his name. "Well, according to my list, Sora, seven years ago you told everyone you did not believe in Santa Claus. Oh, that is unfortunate." Sora looked shameful at what he did.

"Then count me on that list, too." Kirito mumbled, remembering how much he didn't believe in Santa Claus either, and even told his sister so. He turned to Asuna and asked, "did you believe in Santa?" "Actually, I did." Asuna responded giggly, surprising Kirito, "Hey, if SAO and ALO exist, along with finding out about different dimensions and worlds, you would start to believe too." Kirito couldn't deny her logic on that.

"How about Donald and Goofy?" Donald asked. Santa looked down his list, searching for there names. He then looked up at them, smiled and nodded. "Oh, boy!" cheered Donald, leaping into the air. Kirito smiled at them, then he realized something; if Santa knew about Sora, Donald and Goofy, who were all from different worlds, then he must know about other worlds then. He saw Sora still depressed as Jack stepped forward.

"Am I on you list too, by any chance?" Jack asked, "It's me, Jack!" "Jack Skellington?!" Santa said, his voice seemingly shocked. Suddenly, there was a crashing coming from a door near them, drawing all of their attention. Santa hopped off his chair, and walked to the door. "What sort of trouble did you bring this time?" he asked Jack, frowning at him as he opened the door. "This time?" Kirito asked Jack. "It's a long story!" Jack responded. Asuna shook Sora out of his depressed state, and the grouped walked through the door.

They entered to discover the toy factory of the place. The walls and floors seem to be made out of bricks. The group looked around the place, searching for the location of the noise. Suddenly, they heard voices. "Why do we have to hide?" a boy's voice asked. "Silence!" responded a woman's voice, one for which the five heroes knew, "Well, this is a surprise. That fool Jack brought Sora and the others with him. Now we can deal with all of them at once!" _Maleficent! _Kirito and Asuna thought in unison, pulling their Keyblades out. "What do you want us to do?" asked a girl's voice.

The group were able to tell that the voices were coming from above them. "Who's there?!" shouted Santa. "Busted!" chimed the three kid's voices. The group looked just in time to see Maleficent disappear in green flames as the three kids in Halloween Town ran to one window, broke it open, and flew out of it.

"It's Lock, Shock and Barrel!" Jack said, not amused to see them. "Not those three..." moaned Santa. "And Maleficent was with them." Kirito growled, putting his Keyblade away.

"I assure you, they're not with us." Jack told Santa. "Well, whatever the case, they've been quite naughty." Santa replied, "Catch them and bring them back here. They're going to get a lecture."

He started walking downstairs as Jack approached him once more. "Uh, Mr. Claws?" he asked hesitantly, "I want to talk to you about Christmas first." "It'll have to wait." Santa snapped, "I need to see how things are progressing in my workshop." He walked away from Jack and everyone as he walked throughout the factory. "And I thought Santa was suppose to be jolly..." Asuna said, seeing him checking on things.

"C'mon Jack!" shouted Sora, "Let's catch those little pranksters." "And while were at it, let's deliver Maleficent a hard message!" Kirito added. "Oh, all right, then." Jack answered as Sora and the others took off, with him following them.

They left Santa's workshop and entered outside. From there, Kirito noticed something on the ground. "Footprints!" he said, looking down as strange footprints, and looking to where the path they've taken, "Hmm, by the look of things, I'd say they are heading..." "Oh, please don't say it." begged Asuna. "...You got it." Kirito replied, "Back to Halloween Town." Asuna moaned and groaned, not wanting to head back there again. Kirito led the group along the trail of footprints.

They eventually arrived to the tree with the Halloween Town portal. Sora, Donald, Goofy and Jack all leapt into it. "You know, maybe somebody should protect Christmas Town." Asuna suggested hesitantly, "After all, whose to say Maleficent or some other villain would come here." Kirito rolled his eyes as he and Yui came from behind, and started pushing her to the portal. She kept complaining and tried to struggle free, but Kirito sent her into the portal, then he and Yui jumped in after her.

Asuna, Kirito and Yui came out of the door to Christmas Town, back in their Halloween uniforms. Sora and the others were waiting for them. Asuna got to her feet, saw they were back in the scary woods, then angrily looked at Kirito. "Why'd you do that?!" she demanded. "You needed a little push there." Kirito responded, frowning at her stubborn pride, then walked off to the others.

He passed by them, and the boys followed him, leaving Asuna behind. She hadn't seen Kirito look so mad at her for a while. She was wondering that because of her fears, she was being a hinderance to the crew. She didn't want to admit it to the crew, but she did want to say something about her fears. Kirito and Yui know about it, but the others are either too oblivious or they didn't say anything.

Asuna looked down, slightly worried of what she should do, but decided to deal with it later. She noticed the others were far ahead, and she ran to catch up. Little did she know she was soon about to face a new threat that would push her to the limit.

**Chapter 4: Asuna Admits in Action**

The group charged through the graveyard, dealing with a few Heartless here and there, following the path of footprints that led to gates that were now open to them, the group charged along the path to the silhouette of a hill that curled inward at the tip.

They arrived at the place, to see the three kids standing underneath a new Heartless, one that looked big and ghostly, with a steel cage hanging beneath him. "There they are!" Sora declared. "Is that a Heartless with them?" Kirito asked. "Yeah!" Yui answered, "That's the Prison Keeper!" Asuna saw it, and she was afraid. It looked to her like a large, stitched-up ghost Heartless.

The three kids hopped into the cage of the Heartless, and shut the door to it. "Stop them!" Shock shouted. "Tie 'em down!" Lock called out. "Get 'em!" yelled Barrel. Everyone prepared their weapons for battle. The Prison Keeper lifted the cage attached to his body, and shook it over his mouth until Lock came flying out into it Heartless' belly. It glowed flames before transforming, his body a slightly different hue.

"What did he do?!" Sora asked as the group charged in. "He is able to gain powers depending on which of those kids he eats." Yui explained. "Then we need to take it out before it digests them." Kirito said, leaping at the Heartless. Asuna looked afraid of dealing with the monster, but she had to do something, so she started to fire off Blizzard and Thunder attacks with Donald. Sora, Kirito and Goofy were smacking it around while Jack unleashed his flaming pumpkins at it. The Prison Keeper retaliated by firing fireballs from his mouth and hands, blasting away at Kirito and Goofy. Sora used Reflect, and knocked back the fireballs at the monster again. Asuna and Donald healed up the two boys so they could get back in the fray.

They were dealing enough damage to knock Lock out of the Heartless and back into the cage. The Prison Keeper took this moment to eat another one of the kids, this time it was Shock. His arms grew yellow, and he started spinning around with his arms out, whacking Jack and Sora back with the cage. Donald and Asuna were running low on magic power, so Donald charged in while Asuna fumbled for an ether and digested it, returning her power back to normal. She was not gonna come in close at the monster.

The Prison Keeper was much more dangerous now, for not only was he spinning, but he was firing lasers, keeping the group at bay, and damaging Asuna and Donald from a distance. Those who got in close, however, were taking it down easily. Asuna and Donald got back to their feet, and while Donald charged in again. Kirito backed away, and saw Asuna's body shaking in fear. While he was still upset she wasn't able to fight like normal, he still had to take care of the Heartless. He undergone his Valor Form, and charged at the Heartless, laying it to waste.

He knocked Shock out of the Heartless, and after swiping Kirito away, he swallowed the last of the kids; Barrel. His arms turned green, and he started slashing madly at the group. It got too close to Asuna, who leapt back fearfully, and fell onto her butt. The Prison Keeper saw this chance and came at her, it's jaws opened wide. Asuna screamed as she saw it come her way.

Jack came flying in with his fiery pumpkins and countered the monster's attack. Sora, Kirito, Donald and Goofy all charged at it at once, smacking it back. As the four dealt with the Heartless, Jack turned to Asuna, who shivered as she sat there. "Are you ok, Asuna?" he asked, reaching his hand down to her. Asuna saw Jack's skeletal hand, and squeaked as she recoiled, shivering in fear. "What's wrong?" Jack asked, confused by her reaction, "You don't have to be afraid. It's fine."

Jack wasn't understanding Asuna, who had her eyes shut, her whole body vibrating. She couldn't contain it anymore. Her whole body was already displaying her feelings. "I-I...I'm...sc..sc..." Asuna was stammering, having a hard time speaking. Finally, unable to contain it, she screamed the words Kirito was waiting to hear her confess.

"I'M SCAAAAAARED!"

The shout draw everyones attention. It even made the Heartless pause for a second. Jack was completely surprised at her reaction. "You're scared?" he asked her considerately, "Scared of what?" "Everything!" Asuna replied loudly, "I'm scared of this town! I'm scared of all the creepy things here! Even the Heartless are scarier here! And the people! Zero, Sally, even you Jack! I'm scared of it all!" She sat there, squeezing her eyes shut, releasing tear drops. Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at her, worried about her. The Prison Keeper snapped out of it, and charged at the trio, but Kirito repelled it with his Keyblade. "Guys! We can deal with Asuna later!" he shouted to them, "Let's just deal with this Heartless!" The three looked at him, and nodded in unison.

While the four guys were taking on the Heartless, Jack looked down at Asuna, who got to her knees and braced herself with her hands. Jack looked at her with a consoling face, then he smiled. "You don't have to be afraid." he told her, "Halloween Town isn't a place for fearful scares." Asuna opened her eyes and looked up at Jack. "This town is a place full of joyful scares!" "Joyful...scares?" echoed Asuna. "Right!" Jack answered, "We want to scared for a good reason, not to be feared for a bad reason. There might be things that will scare you crazy, but we want you to laugh after being scared silly!" Asuna looked up at Jack, starting to realize what he was saying.

Suddenly, they heard screams, and they saw Sora, Donald, Goofy and Kirito fly over their heads, landing on the ground hard. Jack and Asuna saw their flight, then turned to see the Prison Keeper floating there, it's eyes shining and glowing in green flames. They also noticed that the three kids weren't in their cage anymore. They came to the frightening conclusion, that the monster ate all three of them, possessing all their powers.

"This is not good!" Asuna stammered, frightened by its' appearance. "Agreed." Jack said, "But we need to stand out ground. If we don't, then all of us will be done for!" Asuna gasped, turning to the four on the ground, who weren't getting up anytime soon. She then saw the horrible Heartless coming there way. She looked back and forth, wondering. Finally, she shakily stood up to her feet, pulling out her Oathkeeper again. "I-I maybe afraid of this Heartless..." she stammered, looking down a bit, then she raised her head, "...but I'm even more afraid of losing people I care for!"

Asuna made a charge at the Heartless. It shot lasers at her, but she dodged from side to side, then leapt up at it. She then started doing rapid-fire jabs at it, ending with a heavy jab. She then leapt back, and started shooting Blizzard attacks at the monster, knocking it back even more. It fired fireballs at her, but she blocked them with her Keyblade reflecting them back at the Heartless, making it flinch.

She then turned to Jack, her face set. "Jack!" she hollered, "Let's take this thing out with a Limit Break!" Jack nodded in response, and the two started to make their move. Jack started to spin Asuna around, and then he started to spin in the air above her. They started to dance around, conjuring a glowing pumpkin that released ghosts, damaging the Heartless. Although they were surrounded by ghosts, Asuna had her eyes shut, having her ears and Jack guide her to where the Heartless was at. Finally, they finished by Jack flinging Asuna into the air while a flurry of ghosts and bats flew around them, targeting the Prison Keeper. Asuna flipped in the air and landed in front of Jack, striking a pose with him as an explosions shot from the ground around them, releasing the final blow onto the Heartless, defeating it.

Asuna opened her eyes to see the monster flail in the air a bit, then it disintegrated, dropping the three kids and releasing a large heart, which floated into the air and disappeared.

"You did it, Asuna and Jack!" cheered Sora. The two turned to see the four boys rushing to them, now recovered from their attack. "Way to go!" Donald shouted. "That was swell!" Goofy commented. "Glad you conquered your fear, Asuna." Kirito said as Yui flew onto her shoulder. Asuna smiled kindly at Kirito, glad he wasn't mad at him. She then turned to Jack, who looked down at her. Asuna was still a bit afraid of Jack, but she was now able to consider him a friend. She was able to finally smile at Jack.

Suddenly, they heard one of the kids laugh, and they turned to see them standing there. "That was fun!" Lock said. "Let's go see if Mr. Oogie's ready!" Shock suggested, and the trio left in a hurry. "Oogie?!" repeated Jack, Asuna seeing the shocked look on his face, along with Sora, Donald and Goofy.

"Who's Oogie?" questioned Kirito. "He's one of the villains that was controlling the Heartless in the past." Sora explained to him, "I think he was the one who tried to take over Halloween Town before." "I got the picture." Kirito summed up, "So basically, he's not a nice dude." "Everyone, I hope you're ready for trouble..." Jack warned them. "Don't we have enough trouble already?" Goofy asked, with Asuna nodding in agreement.

The group started to walk to the gates back to the graveyard. Kirito was about to walk with them when Asuna grabbed his hand, stopping him. "Kirito..." she muttered, looking down slightly to shadow her eyes, "Everyone..." The group turned to her. "I'm sorry." Asuna said to them, "I was holding back the crew, wasn't I? All because of my stupid fears." "Why didn't to tell us?" Donald asked. "Her pride told her not to." Kirito answered for her. "Oooh..." Sora, Donald and Goofy said in unison.

"Still, I should've told you when I needed to." Asuna said, looking up at them, her eyes showing some sadness, "I just... I felt it was silly, to fear ghost and creepy things. I even was pushing Jack away, too. I... I really am..." She was about to finish her sentence when Sora raised a hand, silencing her.

"It's ok." he replied, "If you must know, I was a bit scared the first time I came here. But after I got to know Jack and the others, I realized that what I was feeling was complete nonsense." "Gawrsh, were still afraid of things here and there." Goofy told her, "But afterwards, we enjoy all of it." "I think they're trying to say is give it time." Kirito told her, "I'm sure you'll get use to it." Asuna looked at everyone, then smacked her face, getting ahold of herself, then she nodded to the crew that she was ready for anything.

**Chapter 5: An Oogie Boogie Beatdown**

The six heroes walked along the path to the graveyard gates. When they got there, they saw Sally rushing towards them, with a worried look on her face. "What's wrong, Sally?" Jack asked as she got near them. "Jack! Oogie's kidnapped Santa Claus!" Sally warned them. Everyone was startled at the news. "Oh, no!" Jack cried. "And he's headed for Christmas Town!" Sally added. "I bet he's trying to destroy Christmas!" Asuna gasped. "C'mon, Jack, let's hurry!" Sora declared.

The group charged through the graveyard and through the woods. They found the door to Christmas Town, and they all leapt into it, one after another. They arrived out the other end, Sora, Kirito and the gang now having their Christmas costumes. The group gathered together, with Sally bringing up the rear, to see smoke coming from one of the buildings in Christmas Town.

"That's Santa's house!" Donald squawked. "Come on, everyone!" Kirito declared, and he led the group down to Santa's workshop. The group dashed through the town, passing by several Heartless, then into Santa's house, through the living room and into the workshop. The gang all produced their weapons and looked around. The place changed since they last saw it. The delivering machine had been redecorated, made to be more ominous and still stylish, with a black, red, purple and yellow combo to it. It wasn't a Christmas look, but more a Halloween look.

The group paused for a second, then they heard a maniacal laugh and they all turned to look up and see, to Kirito and Asuna point of view, a fat, walking, human-like bag, complete with head, feet and arms. Kirito didn't know whether to fear it or just plain laugh at the stupidity of the figure. He turned to Asuna, and saw that she wasn't afraid of it in the least.

The animated bag hopped off to their level just as Sally came walking in, and elbowed her off to the ground floor as he jumped up onto a part of the machine away from them, and turned his head to the group. "Jack Skellington!" he addressed Jack. "Oogie!" growled Jack, prepared for fighting. "That's Oogie?" Kirito asked, "You think he would be more of a threat." "Don't underestimate him." Sora warned him as Oogie started to laugh.

"You and I have a score to settle, Jack!" Oogie told the Pumpkin King, "Same goes for your little sidekicks!" Asuna looked down below to see Sally leaning against one of the machines, hopping on one leg, for the other one broke off. "What are you planning to do to Sandy Claws?" Jack asked him in a demanding tone. "Who? Sandy Claws?" questioned Oogie, looking somewhat confused, "I don't know what you're talking about!" He hopped off the machine and onto the conveyor belt, revealing Santa Claus tied up onto his back, struggling to break free. "And why is this roly-poly red guy here?" Oogie asked, "Time to go, grandpa!" _Not the sharpest bag in the shed, is he?_ thought Kirito.

Oogie hoisted Santa to his feet, and was about to throw him into the machine. Sally threw her leg out in front of him, attempting to distract Oogie. It worked, for as he reached down to pick it up, Santa hopped off the belt and ran towards Sally, who was waving him in.

Oogie was angry for getting tricked, and tried to pursue them. However, he was stopped by the six heroes, all raising their weapon. "Why, you..." Oogie sneered. He turned around and went along the central conveyor belt. He ran through the hole on the other end of the conveyor belt and disappeared. Next second, a glass platform lowered itself from the ceiling, with him at the controls.

"No way you're getting away from me!" Kirito declared, leaping onto the conveyor belt and charging at Oogie. He leapt up to attack, but he raised himself even higher, out of Kirito's reach. Kirito landed back down as the rest of the crew got onto the belt as well. Oogie chuckled at the sight of them, then he pressed the button. Suddenly, three things happened; the conveyor belt started to move, barriers appeared on either side of the three conveyor belts, blocking them from getting to the ground again, and spiked walls appeared from the back of each conveyor belt, forcing the group to keep moving.

"Stop!" Donald shouted, passing by Kirito as he dove into one of the holes. Kirito noticed the three holes had neon lighting around them; two blue and one red. One of the blue ones was in front of them. Donald rushed into the hole, and the next moment, he found himself coming out onto the other conveyor belt with the blue hole. Confused, Donald looked around, then he turned around and went back into the hole, only to find himself back at the previous conveyor belt.

"What's going on?" Donald asked. "I think the holes don't go to him, but instead take you to the other hole with the same neon lighting." Asuna assumed, "We need to take out this boisterous windbag so we can get off this crazy machine!" Asuna leapt up and fired a Blizzard attack at Oogie's platform, but she then found out he was surrounded by a barrier too.

"Nice view from up here!" Oogie taunted at them. He started to press buttons, and out came presents from the hole in front of him. This gave Sora an idea. "Use the presents!" Sora said to them, charging at one of them, and whacked it upward like a golfer at Oogie's platform. It fell into it, and Kirito started to notice a crack in the platform. "I get it." he realized, "If we use the weight of the presents, that should drop Oogie down to our level. The gang nodded in response to what has to be done, and they charged in.

Whenever a present came down, Kirito, Sora or Asuna would come in and whack it upwards at Oogie's platform, causing the platform to start breaking. As easy as this would be, Oogie wasn't gonna let it be so. He summoned out a large boxing glove, slamming it down the platform, which produced problems and damage to the crew. They also had to avoid all the large exploding dice that Oogie threw down onto them. Asuna was obviously the fastest and most evasive of the crew, and she was dodging his attacks effortlessly, along with Sora. The others were trying their hardest not to get skewered from the spiked walls behind them.

Finally, Sora knocked one more present up onto the floor above, and suddenly the platform broke, and Oogie fell to meet them. "Sora!" Asuna shouted, signalling that she and him should do a Limit Break. Sora nodded and they activated the 'Light Splash'. They took turns doing the Starburst and Flash Blade combo, slashing and jabbing wildly while firing light spears. Finally, the two finished the Limit Break with their Starry Maelstrom, blasting at Oogie from above.

Sora wasn't lying when he said that Oogie was resiliant, because he wasn't down from this. He scurried back up the hole, and back to the lift. Asuna and Sora tried to pursue him, but instead they found themselves on another conveyor belt, which was moving at a much faster pace as Oogie came down on another platform. It took all the team had to run like hell so as not to his the spikes from behind.

They had to undergo the same thing again, only this time Kirito, Donald, Goofy and Jack were separated from Asuna and Sora. Oogie decided to target them instead of the other two. He started attacking them with more punches, explosions, and now a new trick; bags with Heartless in them. While Donald, Goofy and Jack dealt with the Heartless, Kirito did all he could to charge in and rapidly hit presents up into Oogie's platform again.

The hole wasn't lighting up at Asuna and Sora's position, so they had to keep running as the platform moved beneath them. A light shined at their position, and they took no time to stop and think as they dove in. When they came out, they found themselves on the opposite side of the room. "Well, isn't any better." Asuna groaned. "But it looks like Kirito got him!" Sora noticed, seeing Oogie's platform crack up all over, then he fell down to them once again.

Kirito turned to Donald. "Donald, time for the Fantasia!" Kirito declared "Let's go!" Donald said, readying his staff. The two went into a Limit Break. Like with Asuna before in Timeless River, Donald started shooting a flurry of magical energy at Oogie, only Kirito wasn't holding back on his slices. He was going all out at him, slicing and dicing as Oogie flew into the air. Finally, after a furious combo of physical and magical attacks, Donald slammed his staff downward, and a ring of energy sparked around Kirito, for which he used in his assault to do heavy damage to Oogie in midair.

Oogie fell to the ground, but he got back up again. He dashed back into the hole, and Kirito and Jack went in to follow him. Sora and Asuna both made to follow as well, but the conveyor belt started to move faster, and Asuna didn't make it in time. Both teams swapped places, so Kirito, Asuna and Jack were on one end, while Sora, Donald and Goofy were in the center lane.

The belt slowed down as Oogie was on the third platform, and he moved it over to Asuna, Kirito and Jack's side. He then started to shoot lightning from his machine down at them, and the lightning took either the center of the belt or either side. The trio were able to avoid the lightning, and all his other tricks as the Keyblade wielders started swinging at more presents, sending them at Oogie.

After realizing his tricks weren't working on them, he shifted lanes, going to Sora, Donald and Goofy's spot now. He tried the same tricks on them, but they were smarter than that, and were able to avoid his attacks and take out the special delivery of Heartless he sent to them. Sora sent one present after another at Oogie, making the platform crack and ready to shatter.

Kirito, Asuna and Jack all looked at the hole ahead, and saw it light up, along with the hole on Sora's belt, bridging the two places. The trio jumped in just as Oogie fell for the third time. The trio came out and unleashed three heavy attacks, sending him flying over to Sora, Donald and Goofy.

Sora turned to his two friends. "Donald! Goofy! Let's use Trinity!" Sora shouted, and the two cheered in response. The three crossed their weapons together, and they started to light up as a team. "What's going on?!" Kirito asked, seeing the three light up. Suddenly the trio started to float, and they went into action. Sora started by leading the group into a flurry of slashes and slams at Oogie. Goofy followed next by combining his power with the others to release of barrage of Drive Orbs at him. Donald came right after by being enveloped by his friends' powers to unleash a burst of his magical energy, sending Oogie high into the sky. Finally, the three gathered in a triangle formation, put their weapons together, and created a swirling field of magical energy.

Oogie got swallowed into the burst of energy, taking heavy damage from it. His yells of pain from the attack echoed throughout the room as the other three watched in amazement. "I've never seen this form of a Limit Break before." Kirito gasped, blinded by the attack. "It truly displays their power of friendship." Asuna stated, shielding her eyes.

The trio ended their assault onto Oogie, allowing him to fall to the ground. As he got up, a patch in his bag-like body opened up, and a part of his insides started pouring out. He saw it, and attempted to plug it up. When he stopped the flow, he sighed in relief, and started laugh, only to have another seam come undone on the opposite side. He saw his insides come pouring out from there, and he was unable to plug both holes up at the same time. He cried as he started to collapse, all that filled him come pouring out like a faucet. When he was flattened, the last thing to come out of him was a small bug, which attempted to crawl away. Donald slammed his foot on top of it, squishing the bug. Sora, Kirito and Asuna sighed in relief. It was all over for Oogie Boogie.

**Chapter 6: The Fear is Gone...Somewhat**

The crew walked out of the workshop, where they were reunited with Sally and Santa again. Kirito actually grabbed Sally's foot during the battle, and he handed it back to her again. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito and Asuna all stepped outside, looking at the town.

"All right, Christmas is safe again!" Sora stated. "Perfect!" Jack said as he came out of Santa's house, "I'd better get down to business!" All of the group looked at each other open-mouthed. He still wanted to take over Christmas.

"Oh, no you don't!" Asuna stated, walking in front of Jack and looking up at him with her hands on her hips, "You leave that to Santa! You need to stick to your specialty, which is Halloween and all that creepy stuff!" Everyone looked shocked at her sudden scolding at Jack.

She saw their expressions. "What?" she asked them, confused by their expression. "Well...you don't seem to be afraid of Jack what so ever." Kirito noticed. Asuna blinked, then realized that he was right. She then looked up at Jack and simply answered, "Well, what should I be afraid of? I mean fearfully be afraid of?" Jack smiled at her, realizing that she was finally accepting him. She raised her hand up to him, and Jack shook it in response. She flinched a bit at the feel of his boney hands, but she decided to ignore it.

"Jack?" Sally's voice said softly. The group turned to see Sally come out, her leg attached once again, carrying a set of clothes in her hand to Jack. "Here, it's done." She said, holding the clothes out to Jack. "Wonderful! Why, I love it!" exclaimed Jack, "Thank you, Sally!" He took the clothes from Sally, and started to make a quick change. Asuna turned to give him his privacy, despite the fact that he was all bone. "Jack..." muttered Sally, "Do you really have to do this?" "But I make a splendid Sandy Claws!" Jack responded, getting the uniform on.

"Listen here, Jack Skellington." Santa stated, coming out of his house to the group, "You saved me, and Christmas as well. And for that, I'm very grateful. But please promise you won't cause any more trouble! And about that suit..." Kirito tapped Asuna's shoulder, signaling her to turn and see Jack fully dressed in a Santa uniform, complete with hat and long white beard.

"Don't even think about taking over for me again!" Santa warned Jack. "I just thought you could use a little help this year, Mr. Claws." Jack responded considerately, "You must be exhausted from all the preparations. And-I wouldn't mind a second chance to get this Christmas thing right."

"Yes, being Santa Claus can be tiring." sighed Santa, "But let me tell you something, Jack. Seeing the happy faces of little children when they discover the presents I've brought them makes it all worthwhile, year after year after year. And you, Jack-you love to make them gasp and see them shiver with fright. What if someone tried to take all of that away from you?" Jack looked down a bit, finding Santa's words a fair point.

"We both have very important jobs to do, Jack." Santa continued, "Mine is to take care of Christmas, and yours is to take care of Halloween. So we each have to do the very best we can. After all, you're the face of Halloween, Mr. Jack Skellington! The Pumpkin King! The Knight of Nightmares!" Jack looked up, realizing on how important his job is.

"And even though you're fascinated with Christmas, Jack, Halloween is your true specialty." Santa told him, "Don't you see? Children rely on both of us to do our jobs. Halloween needs your attention, and I know Christmas needs mine-urgently." He turned around to go back into the house.

"You're right!" Jack said, "I am the master of terror! And if Halloween has become too routine, all I have to do is think of something new that'll really make them scream!" Asuna giggled nervously at these words. Although she does accept him as a friend, that doesn't mean she'll enjoy Halloween Town anytime soon.

"Jack! Oh, Jack!" cried a voice. Everyone turned to see the Mayor come running towards Jack. "I've been looking for you everywhere! We must go over the plans for next Halloween! I can't do a thing without your approval!" "So true." agreed Jack, leading the Mayor back along the path through town, back to the portal to Halloween Town.

"Say Asuna?" Kirito asked, "I think you might have gotten a little braver in this world." "You really think so?" Asuna asked him. "Absolutely." Kirito responded happily, Yui flying out of Kirito's pocket and onto his shoulder, "And...sorry for getting angry at you before." "It's ok." Asuna replied, "I understand you were trying to help me conquer my fears. Still...there should have been a better approach you should've taken, so you will be only getting half the amount for lunch today." "Ah, come on!" Kirito said exasperatedly, looking at Asuna, who turned her head back from him. She then looked at him again, and smiled. "Fooled ya!" she said, sticking her tongue out. Kirito moaned at being tricked as Yui giggled at him.

"Good luck, Jack Skellington." Santa called out to Jack as he walked away. The group watched him leave town. "Well, there he goes." said Sora. "Yes, and I've got lots of names to check and preparations to finish!" Santa stated. As the crew watched Jack and the Mayor leave, Jack's uniform started to shine brightly. "Jack, this is no time for joking!" the Mayor snapped, frightened by this. "What's this?" Jack asked, looking at his uniform, "Perhaps a bit too festive for our Halloween needs." Sora joined up with Kirito and Asuna, and the trio summoned their Keyblades.

They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and Jack's clothes glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light from Jack's clothes suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

After they unlocked the key, three more Magic Orbs came down from the sky, drawing near them. "That's the Magnet Element." Yui explained, "It will give you the Magnet spell, which will draw in Heartless." "Making them easy targets." Kirito assumed as he and the others took the orbs, "Sounds like a spell I might wanna start using."

The five heroes looked at one another, then turned to Santa and Sally. "We better get going." Sora stated. "We have a bunch more worlds to save, anyway." Asuna added. "Before you do, Sora," Santa started, "I believe there's a friend of yours who-if I recall correctly- was the one who told you there's no such thing as Santa Claus?" Kirito and Asuna looked at him, somewhat confused. "Oh yeah..." Sora realized, "He did say that." "Be sure to give him my very best wishes." Santa told him.

"I will but..." Sora muttered, "Do you know where I can find Riku?" "No...but don't give up!" Santa encouraged him, "Remember, if you believe in Riku, you will find him. Just as you found me." "Right!" Sora responded, and he led the crew away.

"You know..." Kirito started, "I might need to start believing in Santa Claus for now on. You may never know." Asuna smiled back at him, and the crew went back to the Gummi ship, ready for their next adventure.

_(Cue Brook's 'New World')_

**Author: Well, that will do for this world. I'm so glad you came to help me out here, Brook.**

**Brook: It was an absolute pleasure, Jacob. Now if you excuse me, I have to get the Straw Hats ready again. Bye!**

**Author: See ya, Brook!**

**Ok, now as for Kirito's Summon, I believe there is a clear winner; Yui! She will make her appearance as a summon eventually. For now, I just need to find a proper way to make her a summon character.**

**For the next episode, we journey back to Twilight Town. I know Pride Land is closer, but believe me, I know what I am doing. In that episode, everything will start to reveal itself. What is Leafa gonna do when she reunites with Kirito? What new powers will they gain? And for some people's greatest question: who is the mysterious newcomer to Organization XIII? Find out in the next episode. Leave a comment and wait for the next upload.**


	15. Ep 13: Twilight Town! Fateful Reunion!

**Hey, everyone! I'm pleased to announce that the Christmas forms for the SAO characters are done! Go look them up at my Deviant Art Link on my profile. In this episode, there is gonna be plenty of surprises, so enjoy!**

**Prologue**

Back on the Gummi Ship, the crew just teleported back onto it. "Whew, finally made it back." sighed Asuna, flopping into her seat. "Where to next?" Donald asked as Yui flew to the controls. "Well, there's one world that is close to us." Sora noticed, looking up at the monitor, "Let's go through the special gate and..." "Hold on." Kirito stopped him. Everybody turned to Kirito, who sat in his chair.

"Yui, set coordinates for Twilight Town." He told her. "Twilight Town?" echoed Sora. "Why d'ya wanna go there?" Goofy questioned him. "I...I'm not truly sure why." Kirito answered steadily, "But think about it; Twilight Town just appears out of the blue, the place where we all started this crazy journey together. I have this feeling that its' calling out to us. Don't you guys have that feeling?" Donald and Goofy shook their heads. Yui looked puzzled. Sora and Asuna, however, felt somewhat the same way.

"I agree." Asuna said, "We should go there first. I believe we need to go there for a reason. Besides, the world close to us isn't gonna disappear anytime soon. Well, Sora?" "I guess we can double back." Sora assumed, "I am anxious to see Hayner, Pence and Olette." "Then it's settled." Kirito concluded, "Yui, lets head back to Twilight Town!" "Coordinates all set...Engage!" she chimed, and the Gummi ship turned around and headed back to Twilight Town.

At the same time, Recon and Leafa were waking up in the manor of Twilight Town, and were heading down to meet with Namine. She woke them with some urgent news. "What's up?" Leafa yawned as the two entered the computer room to meet Namine, who sat at the computer. "Well, I have some good news and bad news." Namine told them. _Figures._ Leafa and Recon thought in unison.

"Tell us the good news first." Leafa told her. "The good news is that the barrier that separated Twilight Town from most other worlds has lifted. More than likely, your friends will come back here again." "You mean Kirito and Asuna can come back here again?!" Leafa asked, now fully awake. Namine smiled and nodded. "With any luck, they might be coming back soon." she told her. Leafa looked excited at the news. Finally, she was able to reunite with her brother again!

"Ok, what's the bad news." Recon said abruptly. "It seems like Organization XIII is making their move once again." Namine stated, tapping away at the computer, "This includes sending Nobodies to Twilight Town." "What?!" the two said in unison. Why would they want do that?" Recon asked hastily. "I don't know." Namine answered, "Though it is possible they are still looking for me." Leafa and Recon looked at one another. Namine only shared small details of what she's done in the past, but not the full story, nor her connection to Organization XIII.

"In that case..." Leafa declared, whipping out her Keyblade, "We need to clear the town of all the Nobodies we can. We can't let my brother have a poor coming-home party!" She dashed out of the computer room, ready to fight. "W-wait, Leafa!" Recon stammered, chasing after her, "What about breakfast? We need to eat!" Namine watched them go, and heard their footsteps disappear.

Up in the stronghold of Organization XIII, one of the members was looking outward, seeing the large, glowing yellow heart in the sky. He then looked down, and started to chuckle. "Something amusing?" said a voice. He turned to see a man with long, frayed blue hair framing his face and a X-shaped scar on his face. This man was Saïx.

"Oh, I was just thinking that maybe I should make an appearance to a few people I know." the hooded member said, walking past Saïx. "You do realize that you are needed here, Number XV." Saïx said to the member as he opened up a portal. "It will only be a moment." he replied amusingly, and turned to walk into the portal, "Besides, I'm sure they'll be pleased to see me. Especially her...I'm sure she will be delighted to see me." he chuckled at his own humor as he walked through the portal and disappeared.

_(Cue Opening theme)_

**Chapter 1: Brother and Sister at the Sandlot**

It took a few hours, during of which Asuna served them a meal. Finally, they arrived above the world of Twilight Town. Yui set up the transporter, and the group teleported down into the world. They arrived in front of the clocktower, and looked around. No sign of trouble.

"Somehow, it feels good to be back here again." Asuna said happily, taking in the air. "And you said we wouldn't see this place again." Kirito taunted Sora. "Hey, I'm glad I was wrong!" Sora said eagerly. Asuna and Kirito smiled at him. Even though they've been through different worlds, Sora was still the same carefree person as he was before. The crew decided to walk through the streets to get the feel of the place again.

They walked down through the streets until they arrived at the marketplace. They were about to progress forward when they heard someone's frantic cries. They turned to see a short girl with a shadowed face and a tall, crooked hat running towards them. "H-Help!" she shouted, "The sandlot! It's Seifer! Somebody please help us!"

They saw her run off, then they looked at one another. "Sounds like we've got trouble!" Sora assumed. "Then let's head over to the Sandlot, pronto!" declared Asuna, and the group ran off. Just as they did so, Kirito was still hearing the cries of the girl that passed them, but they were somewhat muffled by the tram that passed close to them. "He...must...Leaf...save...man...!" None of her words made any sense, so he decided to ignore it and follow Sora through the streets to the sandlot.

Meanwhile, Leafa and Recon were back to back in the woods, surrounded by a half a dozen Dusks. "These things just won't stand still!" Recon moaned. "Then let's make sure they stay still for good!" Leafa told him, and the two leapt into action. They took three a piece, and due to all the training they've done, they handled them quite well. When they saw the coast was clear, they gathered together again.

"L-Leafa! Recon!" someone shouted. Leafa and Recon turned to see Vivi waddle hurriedly at them. "What is it, Vivi?" Leafa asked, looking concerned at Vivi's panic stated. "It's Seifer!" she cried, "He's being attacked! Strange monsters! At the sandlot!" Leafa and Recon looked to each other.

"Sounds like more Nobodies!" Leafa assumed. "We've taken care of the marketplace, the clocktower, and some on the streets." Recon counted off, "I'm sure this will be the last of them." Leafa nodded in response. "Then let's make..." Leafa started. "_Haste!_" they shouted, raising their hands in the air. They glowed the red aura, and took off in a fast dash. Leafa hoped to get there before it was too late.

At the sandlot, Seifer, Rai and Fuu were on the ground, surrounded by several Dusks. Rai and Fuu were down for the count, but Seifer was attempting to get to his feet again. He struggled to raise his head as Sora, Kirito, Asuna and the gang charged in, surrounding the space between the Heartless and the three fallen people.

"We'll take it from here!" Sora declared, raising his Keyblade. "Here, take these and get out of here!" Kirito told them, dropping three potions near each of their heads. "Leave these things to us!" Asuna stated, preparing her Keyblade. Seifer looked at the group of people that came to save them, and took the potion and drank it. He forced it down Rai's and Fuu's throats, and brought them to the sidelines.

The five went to work on dealing with the Nobodies, which started out as Dusks. They kept piling in, and the crew were dealing with them all. Kirito got separated from the others, and found himself being cornered by a few Nobodies. He went into a frenzy as he hacked and slashed at them, trying to take them out as quickly as possible.

At the same time, Leafa and Recon, now freed from the Haste magic, rounded the corner to see the battle going on. Leafa and Recon gasped when they saw who was fighting. "Brother!" she shouted, and she was about to head in when she saw two Dusks sneak in from behind him. Leafa and Recon nodded to each other, and whipped out their weapons, shouting "_Aero!_" the balls of wind shot at the two Dusks, destroying them.

This attack drew Kirito's attention, and he turned to see his sister and Recon standing there, their weapons raised. "S-Suguha!" he stammered, shocked to hell by her sudden appearance. "Who'd you expect? Klein?" Leafa said amusingly. Asuna took out one of the Dusks, and turned to Kirito, and saw who he was addressing. "Leafa! Recon!" she gasped, also a shocked to see them. Sora, Donald and Goofy turned at their outcries, and saw who they were addressing. "Who're they?" Sora asked. "She's got a Keyblade!" Goofy pointed out Leafa's Fairy Harp.

The two dashed into the battle, their weapons raised, and started to fight off the Nobodies. "H-How did you..." Kirito started. "We can talk later!" Leafa answered, her Keyblade raised, "Let's take out the Nobodies first!" Kirito had no idea how she came to be here with Recon, nor how she knew how to use the Keyblade, not even how she knew the Nobodies. Right now, that didn't matter. All that matters was that they had to deal with the enemies in front of them.

The team resumed the battle, now with two extra fighters. Kirito and Asuna, along with Leafa and Recon, could easily tell that each of them were well developed in the skills of using their weapons and magic. Leafa and Recon were slightly shocked as they saw Sora, Kirito and Asuna undergo their Drive Forms, but they assumed that it was just some extra power they gained.

Dusks weren't the only Nobodies they had to deal with. There were new, more brutal Nobodies called Berserkers, and not only were they powerful, but they carried heavy, claymore-like weapons.

As Recon forced one to drop one of the swords, he attempted to pick it up, and suddenly felt an uncontrollable rage. He started floating in the air, carrying the claymore with him. As he got close to a Berserker that was giving Donald and Goofy a hard time, he swung madly at it with his new weapon, sending it flying higher and higher as he kept swinging at it, finally making it disappear. The claymore disappeared, and Recon emotions were calm again. "What was that all about?" he asked, shaking his head. He turned to Donald and Goofy, and nodded to assure them that he was sane.

Asuna, Kirito, Sora and Leafa were banding together, taking out the last of the Nobodies. "_Magnet!_" Kirito shouted, and he conjured up a ball of energy that drew in the Nobodies easily. He then started swinging wildly at them until there was nothing left. The group looked at the surroundings. The coast was clear. No more Nobodies.

Leafa put away her weapon and leapt at Kirito, hugging him. Kirito, happy to see her again, returned the hug. "I'm so glad you're ok." Kirito sighed, glad to see his sister again. "You had me worried there, brother!" Leafa sobbed, so glad to see her brother again, that tears started to swell in her eyes. She looked up and saw Asuna standing there, somewhat teary-eyed at their reunion.

"Wait... did she just say brother?!" Sora recalled, he, Donald and Goofy astounded at what they just heard. "You got it." Asuna replied, "Her real name is Suguha Kirigaya, and she is Kirito's stepsister. In the game, she goes by the name 'Leafa'. The other person is Recon, and he's Leafa's best friend." Asuna turned to Recon, who walked up to the crew. "What I don't know is how you guys got here." Asuna stated to Recon. "Yeah." Kirito agreed, letting go of Suguha and holding her out at arms length, "Why are you here, Suguha? How did you get to this dimension?" Yui flew into Leafa's arms and hugged her, for she also missed her.

"You've been missing for quite some time!" Leafa complained, shrugging out of Kirito's grip. "You and Asuna just disappeared without a trace. For five days, I was searching for you guys, with the only lead was that you and Asuna took on that mysterious quest, which I found out was a setup from a guy named DiZ..."

"Wait, you know DiZ?" Kirito asked abruptly. "Well, I never met the guy." Leafa answered, "But that's besides the point! Recon was telling me where the last place you guys disappeared too, so we were about to go there. But somehow, a girl we now know sent us through a black portal to this dimension, and lots of crazy things happened after that. I'm talking about getting new clothes, new weapons, new magic, all that stuff! I also learned that you were flying around to different worlds with this guy!" she pointed a finger at Sora, who backed aways a bit, somewhat fearful of her.

"Do you realize how worried I was?!" she asked him. "I spent the next week and a half here wondering about you! Oh sure, I had to deal with a few things here and there, but I was seriously worried about you!" she finished her speech, and she was breathing heavily, glaring at Kirito. It was as if she was holding in all these emotions until now.

Kirito stared at her blankly at her for a short while, then he looked to one side, looking somewhat sad. "I was worried, too." he muttered softly, causing Leafa to be somewhat surprised, "I kept worrying about you. I kept worrying about ever returning back home. I-I'm really sorry, Suguha."

Leafa saw the sad expression on his face as he continued, "I wanted so badly to go back home. I wanted to see if all my family and friends were doing ok. The same goes for Asuna." Asuna and Recon came to the two's side, "It's funny. Although I'm not home yet, now that I got to see you, I feel...very happy." He grabbed his sister and hugged her tightly. Leafa didn't repulse. "I'm so glad." Kirito said, his body vibrating as he was trying to fight back tears, "I-I'm so glad you are here. I'm so..." The rest of his sentence was drowned by sudden sobs. Asuna and Recon looked at the two with consoling expressions.

Leafa's eyes looked at the back of Kirito head, and she smiled. "I'm glad, too." she replied, her arms embracing her brother, "I got to see my brother again." The two stood there, hugging, while everyone was watching them. Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at one another, and smiled as well. The two were finally reunited.

**Chapter 2: The Unexpected Nobody**

"Hey!" shouted a voice. The group turned to see Seifer, Rai and Fuu walking to them. "How 'bout you get out my town now?" he snarled, "You've caused enough trouble." Leafa let go of Kirito, and glared at Seifer. "Excuse me?" she asked, walking right up to Seifer, poking her finger at his forehead, "If I recalled correctly, this wasn't _your _town! I have the rights to be here as well, and so do my brother and his friends."

Seifer looked down at Leafa, ticked off at her bossing him around. All, but Recon, looked startled at her attitude towards him. "Why don't you go back and do your disciplinary job somewhere else?" Leafa asked him, "Or would you rather be humiliated right here in the middle of town?" Seifer got even more ticked off, but after the last Struggle tournament, he didn't want to mess with her.

Finally, he whipped around, saying to his colleagues, "Come on. Were outta here." He walked off, with Rai and Fuu following him at his wake. The rounded the corner of the street and disappeared. Leafa stood there, her hands on her hips, sighing in relief.

Kirito walked up to her. "Tell me, what have you been doing here exactly?" he asked her. Leafa turned to him, smiling a bit. "Just taking my place here." she answered simply. She then saw everybody else walk up to her, and stared at Sora. "We haven't been formally introduced." she said, raising her hand, "I'm Leafa. This is Recon." "Nice to meet you guys." Sora responded, taking each of their hands and shaking them, "I'm Sora. This is Donald and Goofy." Donald and Goofy both waved at them.

"So, you're using Leafa?" Asuna asked her. "Of course." Leafa responded, "I did just come from ALO, so I should use my name from there." Asuna, Kirito and Yui looked at each other, and chuckled. Why should they argue, since they too were using their SAO names?

"Say, why don't I bring you guys to the mansion?" Leafa asked, "I have to introduce you to the person who brought us here!" she led the group out of the sandlot, and through the town. She begun explaining to them in better detail on how they got there. She told them about how she gained the Keyblade, how Recon's weapon evolved, and she told them of her new friend Hayner, Pence and Olette.

"We met them here before we left this world." Sora responded, "They seemed to be really nice guys." "They are." Recon agreed, "They hang out with us when they don't have school, and we get to sit at the top of the clocktower, and eat really delicious ice cream. Ever tried sea-salt? It's delicious!" "Sea-salt ice cream?" questioned Kirito, turning to Asuna and Sora. Both of them shook their heads.

Leafa continued to explain about some of the other residence they've met when they came here, and she talked about the Struggle Tournament she took place in. "...The game is really fun." she said to them, "And it just so happens, I won that tournament." "Wow, congrats!" Asuna commended her. "Yeah, and she has a trophy for it." Recon told them. "We should show them the trophy, Leafa!" "After meeting up with 'you-know-who'." she winked as she led the group through the hole in the wall to the forest.

"So, was there anything else?" Kirito asked her. "Yeah, actually!" Leafa responded, her tone getting serious a bit, "We actually got to test our skills against a tough enemy who is part of a group called Organization XIII." "Organization XIII?!" everyone shouted, stunned by the news. "You mean you fought against one of them?" Sora asked her, "What happen? Did you win?"

"Well, somewhat." Leafa replied hazardously, "Me and Recon had to deal with a guy named Axel. Really skilled guy. Able to control fire." "Fire, huh?" Kirito responded, "Did you beat him?" "Well, we knocked him back a bunch." Recon answered, "We were trying to protect this one girl from being taken by him, and we tried stopping him, but he got away." Recon looked somewhat ashamed at the failure of the mission.

Leafa looked ashamed too, but she shook it off. "It doesn't matter." she said, "After we fought him, we decided to train hard until we would meet him again, so we can kick his great balls of fire from here to the other dimension!" Kirito was glad she was taking that loss well. "But who was the girl you were trying to protect?" Sora asked. Leafa turned to him, somewhat nervous to answer, since she knew how important Kairi was to him. "Well, her name is..." she started, but Kirito placed a hand on her arm to stop her, and the group turned to see why.

They arrived at the mansion, and at the front gates was a man dressed in a black coat and a black hood. An Organization cloak. "Well, speaking of the devil himself." Leafa said, as the group pulled their weapons out. "I presume you must be a member of Organization XIII?" Kirito asked him, glaring at the opponent, who didn't bother turning around to them. "What are you doing here?!" Asuna demanded, raising her Keyblade at him.

For a while, the member didn't speak. Then suddenly, he started to laugh. "Oh, how I've waited to hear those two voices." he said, spinning around to meet them, "I wish I was able to speak to you at Hollow Bastion, but unfortunately, I had some preparations to take care of. I'm so glad we are reunited like this, Kirito. Asuna."

Kirito and Asuna were shocked to hear him know their names. "He must be the newcomer to the Organization!" squeaked Yui, popping out of Kirito's pocket. "That explains how the Organization knows us." snarled Kirito, preparing to attack the man before him. "Kirito," the member said, his voice becoming somewhat more threatening, "Before, the sight of you would infuriate me, but it doesn't. For you see, I am a Nobody now. I don't have the heart to get angry at you."

Kirito was puzzled at what he meant, but before he could contemplate, Leafa rushed in, her Fairy Harp raised. She attempted to slash him, but he leapt back into a quick produced black portal, which vanished the moment he entered in. Sora, Donald, Goofy and Recon all were following her, but they stopped as she did. Everyone looked around, wondering where he went.

Finally, a portal opened up again, this time right behind Asuna. He wrapped his arm around her body, repressing her sword arm as she held her. Kirito and the other whipped to see him have ahold of Asuna. The man lifted a piece of Asuna's long hair with his free hand, and took a deep sniff of it, and sighed. "Your hair smells just as sweet as the day I left you." he whispered in a tone that could be heard to Kirito, "If only I got you when I had the chance, my sweet Asuna."

Asuna stopped struggling and froze, panicked stricken. Kirito also displayed an expression of shock. The tone of his voice, the way he treated Asuna. Only one person person they knew would act in such a sickening manner. "No way..." Asuna gasped. "Of all people..." Kirito said in a angry tone.

Asuna's face went from fear to anger as she yelled, "_Fire!_" she unleashed a fiery circle around her, causing the man to leap back and stand to the far side of the two. "You just had to be the one!" Kirito growled, raising his Keyblade, trying his best not to leap at the man that stood before them. Sora and the others were surprised at their anger.

The man raised his hands, and lifted his hood, revealing a face for which Asuna had nightmares about. A man with shoulder-length blond hair, coming down either side of his face and his back. He still wore the crown on his head. He no longer had his pointy ears, but the face was too familiar. "Sugou!" Asuna and Kirito shouted in unison.

Sure enough, it was him. The man that kidnapped and taunted Asuna. The one who attempted to control the minds of 300 people. The one who created ALO for such a reason. He was even in his ALO avatar form. Leafa and Recon both gasped, for they heard from the two about him, and what he had done.

"Who?" Sora asked, confused. "He was the one who tried to control the minds of all those people in that fairy game." Goofy remembered. "Don't you remember Kirito telling us on the train?" Donald asked him. Suddenly, Sora remembered, and he got into battle position, angrily looking at him.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sugou?!" Kirito demanded. "Last time I remembered, you were rotting away in prison, like you should." Asuna snarled, running to Kirito's side. Sugou snickered at this remark. "Yes, that's what you would think." he said to them, "But thanks to the Organization, I escaped!" He started to laugh wildly at the expressions on their faces, his face twisted up as he laughed.

"Finally!" he shouted, raising his head and hands into the air, "I shall be able to fulfill my dream again. With the power that the Organization had bestowed upon me, and with the power of Kingdom Hearts, I shall rule like a god again! I will have the power to control all the hearts of this dimension!" He continued to laugh maniacally, unable to contain his pleasure.

"You're still trying to do that?!" Asuna gasped, shocked at what he was attempting to accomplish. "You're just as twisted as ever, Sugou!" snapped Kirito. Sugou stopped laughing and looked at the two. "Oh, you shouldn't call me Sugou anymore." he said to them, "Remember, I am now an Organization member now. I am a Nobody. Therefore..."

He waved his hand in front of him, and suddenly, glowing letters appeared in front of him, forming the name 'Sugou'. He then snapped his fingers, and an X appeared above his name. The letters started to swirl around, rearranging themselves, until finally they stopped. The letters, along with the X, created a new name in front of him.

'Gouxus'

"Number XV, Gouxus." Sugou said to them, "From now on, that shall be my new name. The Fairy King of Thieves." Kirito and Asuna looked surprised at him. He had truly become a Nobody, just like he said.

**Chapter 3: Revenge and Truth**

Gouxus waved his hand in the air, and suddenly Nobodies appeared all around the group. Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Leafa and Recon were shocked. They looked exactly like the Guardian Knights at the World Tree, except their heads have been crested with the Nobody emblem.

"Consider these as a present." Gouxus told them as a black portal opened up behind him, "I will see you again soon!" He backed off, and entered the portal. "Hold it!" shouted Kirito as the portal closed, but he narrowly avoided a slash of one of the Guardians. "Guys, let's take out these Nobodies." Sora declared raising his Keyblade. "Careful." Leafa warned them, "These things were originally from our world, only they weren't Nobodies to begin with." The group of Guardians went in swiftly at the group, who charged in just as well.

The Guardians were definitely difficult foes. Their sword strikes were powerful, and they were able to throw their swords at them like throwing knives, and were able to reproduce them again. Fortunately, there were no Archer Guardians, but they were having trouble just as well. Kirito and Sora undergone their Limit Break just to stop a few of them. Leafa kept activating her Haste just to avoid getting hit by them.

After twenty minutes of fighting the swarm of Nobodies, they finally stopped. The group gathered together again, slightly worn from the attack. "That was a close one." sighed Kirito. "Impressive." said a voice. The group looked around to see where the voice came from. Finally, Sora spotted another Organization member from their right side, applauding them.

"By the way," the man said, "have you seen a man named Axel?" "If I did, I would give him a beating of a lifetime!" Leafa snarled, ready to fight this new person. "Well, I expect he's here somewhere." the man sighed. "Like I care." Sora responded, following Leafa as he readied his Keyblade. "You see, Axel's no longer acting in our best interest." the man explained.

"Is he with the Organization, too?" Goofy asked. "Yes." responded the man. "You havin' a fight?" Donald asked. "Not a very organized Organization..." sassed Recon. "Don't let your guard down." the man warned him, pointing a finger at Sora, "Axel will stop at nothing to turn you into a Heartless." "Gee, thanks for looking out for us, mister." Sora said in a sarcastic tone, "But I'm sure we can take care of ourselves just fine." "Glad to hear it." the man responded.

"One more thing!" snapped Kirito, "Why is Sugou in your Organization?! How did he come to this dimension, and become a Nobody?" "Let's just say that we were looking for...prominent minds." the man responded, "His strong will and understanding is proving to be useful to our Organization." "So, is he really trying to control the hearts of people in this dimension?" Asuna asked fearfully.

"That's for you to decide." the man responded, "Gouxus aside, it would break our hearts to hear something happened to the four of you." He was referring to Sora, Kirito, Asuna and Leafa. "Hearts? You don't have any hearts!" Donald squawked. "True, we don't have hearts." the man responded, lifting his hood to reveal a man's face with blue hair and a X marked scar on his face, "But we remember what it was like. That's what makes us special."

"What do you mean?" Asuna asked as a portal opened up from behind the man before them. "We know very well how to injure a heart. Sora, Kirito, Asuna and Leafa, you just keep on fighting those Heartless." Kirito and Leafa looked at each other, confused by why he would tell them that.

"Let's jump in after him!" Sora whispered to the crew. "How come?" Donald asked. "I'm not sure," Sora answered, "but maybe he'll lead us to the Organization's world." "Good idea." Recon agreed, "We might even get a chance to bring back the person Axel had taken from us."

"Don't be reckless." warned the man, "Do you want to end up like Riku?" "What?!" gasped a startled Sora. The man walked backwards into the portal bowing to them. Recon made an attempt to rush in after him. "Hey, wait!" Sora shouted to the man, but it was too late. The man disappeared, and Recon was too late to stop him. The group just stood there, looking at the spot the man disappeared to. "What did he mean, end up like Riku?" Sora asked out loud. "Yeah, I mean Riku was just fine the last time I..." Leafa started, but she stopped herself. Sora was too busy thinking about what the man said to listen.

Asuna, however, knelt down, shivering. Everyone looked to her, and saw the fear in her eyes. "Why..." she said fearfully, "Why did it have to be Sugou? That man... he was a complete and utter monster. Why did he have to return to into my life again?" She hugged herself, scared of what they just found out, and scared of what was to come. That man stole her, played with her body, attempted to marry her, even tried to rape her. There was no reason she wasn't gonna be afraid of him.

All of the group looked worried at Asuna's state. Yui flew down and hugged her to console her. Kirito paused as he looked down at her, then he turned away from her, looking at the point the man she feared disappeared to. "It's Gouxus." he said firmly. Asuna looked up at him, along with Yui and everyone else.

"That man's name is Gouxus now." Kirito repeated, "He allowed himself to lose his heart, and that's the man we just now have seen. I know of all the cruelty he had done in the past, yet I decided to let him go on that parking lot that night. I hoped that maybe he had learned his lesson, but I guess that was a false assumption. Now that he had come to this dimension, attempting to repeat the actions he tried to do before, I can see he is a loss cause. He must be killed."

He turned back to Asuna, looking seriously at her. "There's a fine difference between now and then, Asuna. And that is you have the power to fight back, as you so well demonstrated. You have the power to retaliate against the man who attempted to take away your freedom. And I'll make sure you have that chance."

Asuna looked up at Kirito, realizing that he was right, and wiped away the tears on her face, only to express an angry face as she spoke, "You're right. That man is no longer controlling me anymore. If he thinks he could try to take me over again, he has another thing coming. He's gonna regret ever meeting me!" Kirito smiled at Asuna's words, finally seeing the woman he loved ready to fight against the man she feared.

"Then count me in, too." Leafa added, leading Recon over to the other two, "We have a few complaints on how much trouble his game was before, and how poorly he treated certain gamers within it." Recon looked a bit hesitant, but he looked like he was willing to join in with the battle. Kirito and Asuna both nodded in agreement. Those two can have their fair share of fighting him.

Kirito turned to Sora, Donald and Goofy, who were walking up to the group. "If you see Gouxus, don't attempt to fight him." Kirito warned them, "Instead, leave him to us. We want to finish a long awaited battle with him." "You got it." Sora answered, smiling seriously at Kirito, "That guy does seem to be targeting you guys most of all." Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

The group looked at each other, then Leafa remembered that she was bringing the team over to the mansion. She waved the others to follow her, and she led the group into the mansion. Inside, the team decided to split up; Recon would lead Sora, Donald and Goofy over to their room, where he was gonna show them the trophy. Leafa said that they should have the trophy instead, since it cluttered up her room. Meanwhile, Leafa led Kirito and Asuna down to the basement again. She believed that it should be just the three of them to talk to Namine for the time being.

She led them down into the computer room, where Namine stood, waiting for them. "Guys, I like to introduce you to the person who brought me here, Namine." Leafa introduced them. "Namine?" Kirito asked, "Why is that name so familiar?" "Wait, didn't Jiminy's journal say something about thanking her?" Asuna asked. "Your right." Kirito remembered, "We should get Sora and the others so they can tell her that."

"No, wait." Namine stopped him, "It's still too soon for us to meet. Now's not the time." Asuna and Kirito looked questionably at Namine, but decided not to argue. "In any case, it's very nice to meet the both of you." Namine said to them. Asuna and Kirito looked to one another, and bowed in response.

"Namine, why is there a person in our world a Nobody in this world?" Leafa asked her seriously, "And how long has he been here?" Namine looked down, thinking about how to phrase her next words, then she answered, "Since a week before your arrival." Everyone looked startled at this. "You see, DiZ learned that the Organization discovered the world as well, and not just the online world, but the real one, too. They decided to find someone who would help the Organization. You see, that's one of the Organizations' other missions; to find new people who would benefit their cause. That's when they found the man you speak of."

Namine walked over to the computer and started typing away, pulling up a profile on Sugou. "DiZ did some research on him, and discovered that he was the one who trapped three hundred minds, including Asuna's, and was attempting to control the minds of people. The Organization's scientist had already been defeated, so they needed to find a replacement, and after seeing the brilliance of that man, they decided to take him away from that world, and transform him into a Nobody."

"But his face looks like his avatar in ALO." Kirito described, "How come he is like that if he was taken from the real world?" "That's probably the work of the Organization." Namine answered, "Either that, or that his strong conviction to his avatar form made his Nobody what he is." "He did consider himself a god when he was ruling that world." Asuna said through gritted teeth.

"DiZ found it dangerous to have a man like that in the Organization." Namine continued, "That's when he started to find a way to bring you three into this world." Kirito, Asuna and Leafa looked at one another. "Due to your former conflict with that man, he believed that you might be able to fight him again. And after research, he also discovered that you three might be prominent Keyblade wielders. You're strong hearts are definite proof."

Namine turned to them as she continued, "He knew of the programing of your world, and he knew that your bodies in the real world wouldn't respond if your minds had been transferred to this world. However, he believed your digital forms were better suited for this world than your real world forms."

"I get it." Kirito understood, "So in order to stop Gouxus, he brought us here, starting with me, Asuna and Yui, then Leafa and Recon. I bet he wasn't expecting Recon or Yui, but they are beneficial to our team." Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket and flew onto his shoulder, smiling at his consideration.

"So, if we defeat Gouxus, along the Organization, what will happen to us?" Asuna asked Namine. "DiZ will return you back to your dimension." Namine responded, "He has the ability to bring you guys back, I can be sure of that. He never wanted to separate you from the people who care about you, but the movements of the Organization made him do so."

Asuna, Leafa and Kirito looked to each other, wondering. If that was DiZ's plan, then he should've told them at some point. Regardless, at least they found out why they were brought here, and why they gained Keyblades. It was an absolute relief to them, and DiZ did say that they would bring them back. They thought about their families, and their friends, and what they're probably going through. They knew they were probably worried about them, and their bodies had probably already been transferred to hospitals right now, just like before. All three Keyblade wielders had only one thing to say to that; _hold on for a little while longer. They had a duty to fulfill._

The trio nodded to one another, then turned to Namine, who waited for their response. "Thanks for telling us this." Kirito told her, "At least we now have a bigger goal to accomplish." "And now we know for sure that the Organization can enter our world." Asuna added, "I bet anything Gouxus won't leave that world alone either." Leafa nodded in agreement.

Namine smiled at their conviction. "Thank you, all of you." she said to them, "I hope you bring the worlds to light again, and to make sure that the Organization is stopped for good." She then turned to Leafa as she continued, "I still might need your help again, Leafa, as well as Recon. However, Twilight Town is safe for the time being, so I think you should go to another world and help there."

"Are you sure?" Kirito asked, "Surely Leafa and Recon can come with us. She'll be great in our crew." "Nah, I think I'll pass." Leafa responded, surprising Kirito, "I think you guys already have it covered with going to other worlds and helping them out. And besides, you know the old saying; divide and conquer." Kirito looked a bit worried at Leafa, but then decided to have faith in her.

"I believe you will see more of each other, anyway." Namine cut in, "For I'm going send her to Hollow Bastion. She'll be needed there." "Hey, that's a really good place to go to!" Asuna said, "We have some friends there, like Leon and the other Restoration Committee. And there's a wizard named Merlin, and I bet if you ask nicely, he'll give you a few spells to work with." "Sounds great! I can't wait!" Leafa answered, eager to go to this world.

"I will send you and Recon to that world eventually." Namine said to them, standing up and walking toward the doors on the other end of the room, "For right now, you should go to Sora and his friends. Don't tell them I'm here, ok?" The trio nodded, and Namine went through the doors and disappeared.

**Chapter 4: The Bonds With Beyond**

The trio walked up from the basement into the main room of the mansion, where they were reunited with Sora, Recon and the others. Goofy was carrying the trophy, which looked somewhat plant like, with four jewels on it, all different colors. They greeted them, and when Sora asked about meeting Namine, Asuna responded by saying that she left after their conversation.

"So what did you guys talk about?" Sora asked. "Let's just say it was enough for us to keep on fighting against the Organization." Kirito responded, grinning. Sora, Donald and Goofy all looked to each other, but decided not to question them any further. They were just glad that they were still continuing to fight along side them.

The group left the mansion, closed the gate behind them, and walked through the woods to town. When they got there, they saw Pence running towards them. "Oh! Sora!" Pence stammered, seeing all the familiar faces with them. "Um...Pence, right?" Sora reminded. "Hey, Pence." Kirito greeted them.

"Hey, guys." Pence replied, "Say Sora, do you know a girl named Kairi?" Leafa and Recon looked a little nervous. "K-Kairi? I sure do!" Sora replied excitedly. "Then you better come to the station!" Pence told him. "I probably should add some things, too." Leafa added. "You met her, too?" Kirito asked. She nodded, but didn't look to happy about it. Sora was too excited, and dashed up the streets ahead of the group, with the others following suit.

After a while, they arrived at the station plaza again. The gang got together in the center of the plaza when they heard someone shout, "He-ey!" They turned to see Hayner and Olette rushing from the other street up to them. Yui flew out of Kirito's pocket again and flew right next to him. "Hey, guys." Asuna greeted them. "Hey, so how do you guys know Kairi?" Sora asked them, turning to them, then to Pence, and finally to Leafa and Recon. The five of them grouped together, looking a bit nervous to answer.

"Kairi was the girl that I was trying to protect." Leafa answered, surprising the group. "Me and Recon were told about her, and when Axel tried to take her, we were sent to protect her. We used the power of some of our friends to send her here."

"Kairi was really here?!" Sora asked. "Yeah." Hayner responded, "And...she said she was looking for you." "Tell me where she is!" Sora demanded. "Well..." Leafa started hesitantly, then they went into the full story, about how Axel came to this world and took her again, and how Leafa tried to stop him, but he tricked her, and Leafa lost Kairi.

Sora, who listened to them to the very end, pulled something out of his pocket. It looked a lot like the star-shaped ornament on Asuna's Oathkeeper. "Kairi..." he muttered, looking at the star. "I'm sorry." she said to Sora apologetically, bowing deeply to him, "I did all I could. We all did, but...it wasn't enough."

"Hey, it's not your fault." Sora responded strongly, "C'mon, cheer up! Like I can even say that..." The group looked closely at Sora as he bowed his head in shame, then he raised his head suddenly, declaring, "I gotta help Kairi!" His sudden change of attitude startled Goofy, causing him to drop the statue, and the four jewels popped out of their sockets and rolled all around. Hayner, Pence and Olette made a quick grab for the green, yellow and red jewels, while Kirito made a grab for the blue one.

"That was close!" Pence gasped in relief. Sora looked at the blue jewel Kirito grabbed, then pulled out the wallet he got in this exact plaza from the king, and pulled out the blue jewel from inside it, and raised it towards the sun, looking right through it. Kirito saw him do it, and mimicked his movement. Asuna and Yui got to Kirito's side, and looked through the jewel as well. Hayner, Pence and Olette also raised their jewels towards the sun. They all seemed transfixed as they peered through the jewels, while the others watched.

Leafa turned to look at Sora, wondering. He did seem just as head strong and kind as Kirito, though a bit more childish than him. He would tell others to cheer up, and not to be worried about things, and still take in the pain they had been dealt with. She could understand just how Kirito, Asuna and Yui were able to get along so well with him.

Kirito, Hayner, Pence and Olette all lowered their jewels, but Sora just stood there, frozen. The group looked at him, looking a bit worried. It almost felt like, for a short moment, he was someone else, somebody that seemed to be like him. "Sora?" Donald called out. No movement. "Sora! Are you okay?" Goofy shouted. Kirito reached over and shook his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. "Huh? What...?" Sora asked, somewhat confused as he looked around. Olette looked at the wallet that Sora was holding in his other hand.

Suddenly, the jewel in Kirito's hand started to glow brightly, and start to float. Without hesitation, Sora, Kirito and Asuna grouped together, pulling their Keyblades out. They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the jewel glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the jewel suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

"What the heck just happened?" Leafa asked Yui. "Another road has opened up for us." Yui answered. "...And Kairi and Riku are waiting somewhere along it." Sora finished. Hayner, Pence and Olette gathered with the group once more. Suddenly, the star in Sora's pocket started to glow, and Sora pulled it out to reveal it glowing a bit, then it stopped. "The star had changed itself into a Keyblade chain." Yui explained, "It has now become your 'Oathkeeper'." Sora looked down at it, and smiled a bit.

"You'd better hurry, then!" Olette told him. "You comin' back?" Hayner asked. "Promise!" Sora responded. Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Donald and Goofy all nodded in response.

"Sora..." Leafa said, bringing Sora's attention to her. She looked hesitant, then she said, "Make sure you take care of Kirito. He's a bit head strong, and he rushes into battles far too much. I can count on Asuna, but just in case..." "Oh, like your one to talk." Kirito retaliated, nudging her a bit.

"You're not coming with us?" Sora asked. Leafa shook her head, then she smiled. "Don't worry," she assured him, "I just got word that me and Recon are gonna be movin' over to Hollow Bastion, so I'll wait for you guys there." Recon, Hayner, Pence and Olette all looked surprised at this sudden bit of news. "Really? Cool!" Sora responded.

"You really leaving us, Leafa?" Hayner asked her. Both Pence and Olette looked at her sadly. "For a while." Leafa responded, "But we'll be back. That's a promise!" She gave them the thumbs up. The three friends looked at each other, smiled, and gave her a thumbs up in return. Recon looked to her, then to the three friends they've made, and also made a thumbs up at them.

Leafa turned to the other three Keyblade wielders. "You guys better come back in one piece!" she told them in a motherly way. "We will." Kirito responded, "You just do the same." He reached his hand out in the middle of them, and Sora, Asuna and Leafa all placed their hands on top of them. The four Keyblade wielders were united together by an unbreakable bond.

Suddenly, a light shone from their hands, and shot into the sky above them. It glowed brightly, and four Drive Orbs appeared, with a crown symbol on each of them. "What are those?" Recon asked, seeing the orbs. "More Drive Forms for them!" Yui answered excitedly. They floated down to the four Keyblade wielders.

"Are these...for us?" Leafa asked, looking at the orb. Asuna nodded eagerly. "Touch it, Leafa." Kirito told her, "It's a new power given to you." She looked a bit hesitant, but she joined in with everyone as they simultaneously touched the orbs. Their garments started to glow, and they bursted brightly with energy.

When the light died down, they found themselves in new garments, or rather old new garments. Sora's clothes looked like his old uniform before the fairy's from Yen Sid's tower transformed them. Kirito's, Asuna's and Leafa's clothes looked like their SAO/ALO original forms.

"Wha-what are these?" Leafa asked, seeing her clothes like normal. "I think I know." Yui answered, "These are your Limit Forms. They basically bring back some old skills you had before. You can improve those powers as you use this form." "Cool!" Sora said excitedly, checking out his new clothes, and feeling the powers from it.

Kirito looked at his Keyblade, then started to focus a bit, and his Keyblade started to glow before releasing it into a slash, causing the wind to gust around him. "Hey, that move felt like one of my sword techniques back at SAO." Kirito said, astonished, "I wonder what moves I'm able to do again?" "Me, too." agreed Asuna, whipping her Keyblade to one side as if she was controlling her rapier.

Leafa looked at her garments, then she thought of something. She concentrated hard, and suddenly her fairy wings appeared on her back. "Leafa! You got wings!" Recon said excitedly as she started fly a bit. Then out of excitement, Leafa soared straight up the top of the clock tower and circled around it, laughing in enjoyment. She had gained her flight powers again.

"Careful, Leafa!" Kirito shouted, "The Drive Forms only last for a while, so you better not soar too high." She flew down to them, and landed neatly on her feat. "Hey, at least I got the feeling of flying again!" she told him off. Kirito sighed in disbelief. "Aaw, I wanna fly again, too!" Recon moaned, feeling jealous of Leafa's powers. "I'm sure you'll get yours eventually." Asuna assured him.

The gang reverted back to their normal forms, and looked at one another. "Well, we best get moving!" Sora told them, and he led Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Donald and Goofy to one side. They activated the teleport system on the Gummi Ship, and they disappeared from sight.

Leafa and Recon looked to Hayner, Pence and Olette, and smiled at them. "We better get a move on as well." She said to them. "You take care, Leafa." Pence stated. "Good luck!" Olette cheered. "You better come back." Hayner told them. "We will." Recon assured them, "And when we do, lets bring Sora, Kirito and the others with us so we can have some sea-salt ice cream." "It's a deal." agreed Hayner.

Leafa and Recon looked to one another, and nodded their heads in unison. Together, they dashed towards the mansion, where Namine was waiting for them, ready to take them to Hallow Bastion. Leafa didn't regret not going with his brother. He and Asuna had their duty, and she and Recon had theirs. Together, they had the power to defeat Gouxus and Organization XIII once and for all.

**Hoho! That was a fun novel to write. Did anyone expect Sugou making his return? I just had to, he was a prominent choice when it came to bad guys from SAO, and Kayaba helped Kirito out a lot, so no way was he gonna be a Nobody.**

**Now, as for the Summon, I am planning to do Yui, but I think I'll make that a Kirito & Asuna Summon together. She is their daughter after all. As for Kirito's Summon, I think I'll take the second place winner: Wreck-it Ralph. He'll make his appearance eventually.**

**Ok, here is your next mission that I want your help with; I am planning to create the Elucidator and Lambent Light into a Keyblade form, but I don't know what the Keychain symbol should be for them. Tell me in the comments what would be a great symbol for each of them.**

**Next up is the Pride Lands, and it's gonna get crazy with Kirito, Asuna and Yui as they have to have animal forms. Kirito and Asuna's animal forms have already been decided, and I'll work on drawing them, but what about Yui? If you have any ideas, please tell me.**

**Leave a comment, and wait for the next update!**


	16. Jiminy's Journal 2

**Next set of characters into Jiminy's Journal. Take a look!**

_Leafa: A girl from a different dimension that was chosen by the Keyblade._

_Her real name is Suguha Kirigaya, and is Kirito's stepsister. She comes from a game called 'Alfheim Online', and has aided Kirito in stopping a man named Sugou from controlling the minds of three hundred people, and rescued Asuna. She has been sent to our dimension with the help of a mysterious ally, who seems to know DiZ._

_She has been given new garments, and was a resident in Twilight Town. Currently, she transferred over to Hollow Bastion, where she plans to help the Restoration Committee, while trying to find Kairi._

_Recon: A boy from a different dimension, and is Leafa's boyfriend._

_His real name is Shinichi Nagata. He comes from a game called 'Alfheim Online', and has made his share of helping Kirito and Leafa save Asuna and stop Sugou. He has been sent to our dimension with the help of a mysterious ally, who seems to know DiZ. Although he is not a Keyblade's chosen one, his weapons still has the power to vanquish Heartless just like a Keyblade._

_He had been given new garments, and was a resident in Twilight Town. Currently, he transferred over to Hollow Bastion, where he plans to help the Restoration Committee, while trying to find Kairi._

_Gouxus: A Nobody member of Organization XIII_

_His original identity was Sugou Nobuyuki, and was the creator of the original 'Alfheim Online', where he planned to control the minds of people, and forcefully have Asuna marry him. Kirito, Leafa and Yui defeated him, and he was sent to prison. However, the Organization freed him, and sent him to our dimension, where they transformed him into a Nobody, where he dawned the name 'Number XV Gouxus', nicknamed 'The Fairy King of Thieves'._

_His powers are unknown._


	17. Ep 14: Pride Lands! Born Wildcats!

**Hey everyone. Sorry it took so long. Been having a bit of a lousy week. Anyways, here's the next episode in 'Sword Art Kingdom'. If you want to see Kirito and Asuna in their new bodies for this world, check out my Deviant Art link on my profile. Enjoy!**

**Just to tell you, there are certain moments I added to this from the actual movie 'The Lion King'. They were just choices I decided to make.**

**Chapter 1: Animal Instincts**

It took several hours after leaving Twilight Town, during of which they also had to deal with another special gate, the five heroes finally made it to the next world. Flying out of the gate, they saw the new world, which looked like a deteriorated savanna. "This place familiar to you guys?" Kirito asked Sora, who shook his head in response, "I see. In that case, Yui, give us the rundown."

"The place is called the Pride Lands." she explained, tapping away at the keyboard, "It's location is somewhere in the African wilderness." "That explains a lot." Asuna stated, looking at the new world, "What I don't get is why does it look so deserted." "That much is unknown for the time being." Yui answered, "But this world does have some world rules that will effect us in a way." "What is it?" Donald asked. Yui turned to them and shrugged, having no idea.

"Well, we won't know just standing here." Sora stated, getting to his feet, "C'mon, we got a keyhole to find!" Everyone nodded in response, got up, and walked to the transporter as Yui set it up. "Gawrsh, wonder what kind of rules we have to follow?" Goofy asked. "Let's find out." Kirito responded as he felt the transporter activate as Yui dove back into his pocket again. The teleportation process activated, and already Sora, Kirito and everyone else felt their bodies change as the were sent down to the world.

_(Cue opening song)_

The crew came out of teleportation, and already they looked to one another to see what kind of world rules they had to follow. They were surprised to see that they were not humans, but animals now. Sora became a lion cub. Kirito became a young black panther. Asuna transformed into a young cheetah. Donald became a bird of some kind. Goofy turned into a turtle. And Yui, who was no longer in any pocket, became a butterfly. While Donald's, Goofy's and Yui's heads looked normal, the other three's heads changed, only their hairstyle stayed pretty much the same.

"Hey! Check us out." Sora stated, looking at his body. "How'd this happen?" Asuna stated, looking at her paws and body. "I guess we were introduced to our wild side." Kirito assumed, feeling his new body and walking around a bit on all fours.

He then stopped and thought of something. He focused, and his Keyblade came out from above him. He tried to grab it with his paws, but he couldn't get a good grip on it, not to mention his body made it impossible for him to walk on his hind legs. He flopped to the ground with his Keyblade. "I'll never be able to carry it like that." he moaned, trying to figure out a way to carry it.

Sora looked concerned and he tried conjuring his Keyblade. It appeared above him, and he was somehow able to grab it with his mouth. "Will this work?" Sora asked through his gritted teeth, looking at the other two. Kirito found Sora's idea a good one, and chomped on the handle of his Oblivion, picking it up. "I guess this will have to do." he sighed through his mouth full of Keyblade.

Asuna looked at the boys, not interested in carrying her Keyblade with her mouth. She thought of something, and produced her Keyblade. However, she tried a different method; her tail. She was able to curl her tail around her Keyblade, and kept a firm grip on it. "Nice. I didn't think cheetahs have prehensile tails." she said, swishing her Keyblade around. "They don't." Kirito told her, "You're just lucky." Asuna giggled in response as the team put their Keyblades away.

It was then that they looked around at their surroundings. They were in a chasm of some kind, with hot, green liquid flowing through cracks into pools around them, steaming upwards. The sky above them was cloudy, with no sign of the sun. Sora basically spelled it out with his next words. "This place is kinda creepy, though." he said as the five of them stood back to back. Donald and Asuna nodded in response.

Suddenly, Goofy made a noise, and they turned to see a hyena standing in front of him. They looked around, and they saw two more hyenas popping up, encircling them, with more coming from other parts, some hanging over the cliffs. "Don't look now, but I think we just fell into their lair." Kirito stated, looking at the hyenas around them. One deranged looking one started to laugh at the sight of them.

"Heartless?" Sora suggested, seeing all of the hyenas. "I dunno, Sora." Goofy answered, "I get the feelin' they might live here." "He's right." agreed Yui, landing on Kirito's head, "These animals aren't Heartless nor Nobodies. They are definitely part of this world." "Don't mind us!" Donald shouted, "Just passing through. We won't be any trouble." "Yeah, that's right!" Asuna agreed, "So why don't you just leave us alone."

"Don't be silly." One of the circling hyenas said, who's voice told it was a female, "We'd love you to stick around for lunch." "Um...we didn't bring anything to eat." Sora stated. Kirito looked to him, wondering how stupid he could get. "That's not gonna be a problem!" laughed the other circling hyena, who was a male.

"Sora, I think they're referring to us as 'lunch'." Kirito told him. The deranged hyena laughed and licked his chops. Donald looked left and right, then screamed frantically as everyone took off in different directions.

Goofy was waddling as fast as he could, but his tortoise-like body made it hard for him to move fast. Donald flew away with all his might. Sora was having a hard time running on all fours, and he tripped over a crack in the floor, causing him to flip over. Asuna found it difficult to run on all fours too, but she wasn't tripping over things. Kirito wasn't having any trouble at all, and he was leaping around the hyenas avoiding them. It felt to him like he was use to being an animal, though he didn't know why. He could see, however, that the others having difficulties, but just as he was going to help them, he got surrounded by a horde of hyenas.

"Going somewhere?" the male hyenas asked, walking towards the flipped over Sora. Donald, Goofy and Asuna were being cornered by a pack of hyenas. Kirito pulled out his Keyblade, and tried swishing it at the hyenas. He found it hard to swinging his weapon around like this. The male hyena that stood in front of Sora was about to take a bite at him when they heard a loud roar off in the distance. This drew all of the hyenas' attention. "Man, that Scar's got the worst timing." grumbled the male hyena. "Just let him roar." the female hyena told him. "Nah, we better go see what he wants." he said, "Sounds like he's grumpy enough already." The female sighed and agreed. The group of hyenas left them alone and took off through the chasm, and disappeared from sight.

Sora, Kirito and the others gathered together again. "I dunno what that was about, but I'm glad it's over!" Sora said in relief. Donald and Goofy sighed in relief. "That was almost gonna get ugly." Asuna stated.

"Man, fighting with my weapon has gotten harder now." Kirito stated. "And everything's harder on four legs..." moaned Sora. "We better start practicing then!" Asuna suggested. Donald nodded in response. "I found a trick to it." Goofy stated to Sora, "Here lemme show ya."

For the next fifteen minutes, the team were getting use to fighting and walking in their new forms. Kirito was already use to walking, but it took him some time before getting the swordplay right, same went for Asuna and Sora. Goofy figured out that he could spin himself like a top to move faster around, and he used his shield on top of his shell. Donald was getting better at flying, and held his staff with his talons.

"I think I got the hang of this." Asuna stated as she jabbed right through a rock with her Keyblade at tail. Kirito gripped his Oblivion tight in his jaws, and slashed right through the rock that Asuna punctured, causing it to fall sideways. "Could use more practice, but I think I got it." said Kirito, putting away his Keyblade. "Then lets get moving!" declared Sora as Donald and Goofy gathered around him. Asuna and Kirito nodded in response. Yui, who was sitting on a rock, flew onto Kirito's back, and nested herself in his fur before they took off.

For a while there were high sheer cliffs all around the pathway, yet no hyenas in sight. There were also bones of animals spread throughout the floor, apparently gnawed on by the hyenas. Afterwards, they made it out of there, and into a rocky area full of large skeletons that looked like certain animals.

"Are these...elephant bones?" asked a nervous Asuna, eying one of the skeletons. "We must be in one of those elephant graveyards I read about." assumed Kirito. Donald and Goofy both gave nervous moans as they looked around. The place looked void of life, or so they thought.

They heard something, and they turned to see a young, female lioness leaping away from two large, boney Heartless. She roared at them, and took off, with the two in pursuit. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sora asked. "Heartless?" Donald guessed. "What do we do?" asked Goofy. "What do you think?" Kirito responded sarcastically, producing his Keyblade and grabbing it with his jaws. He, Sora, and Asuna ran off to chase after them.

They bypassed the two Heartless and swerved around to stop them from attacking the lioness. "Stay back!" Sora told her as Donald and Goofy came up to meet them. Yui leapt off of Kirito as the five heroes charged in at the two large Heartless.

The Heartless, to which Yui described as 'Living Bones', were pretty tough, producing shockwaves and ramming them with their large bodies. Fortunately, Sora was either stupid, crazy or crafty enough to figure out that he was able to leap on top of one and use it like a rodeo bull, making it attack the other with ramming and shockwaves. He then flipped into the air, and sent it hurdling head first into the ground, destroying its head. It was still able to fight without its' head, but it was blind, so it was easy to take care of from then. The team wiped out the Heartless.

They gathered together after they finished. "That wasn't too hard." Kirito sided as he put away his Keyblade. The lioness came in from behind them. "Thank you." she said, "You really saved me." The group turned to meet her. "We're just glad you're okay." Goofy replied. "Are you ok?" Yui asked, looking from one side of the lioness' body to the other, "Are you hurt at all?" The lioness shook her head, implying she was ok.

"Did you see any other Heartless around here?" Sora asked her. "Heartless..." she echoed, "Is that what they're called? I'm not sure if there are any others. I don't usually hind outside the Pride Lands." "So were still outside the Pride Lands." Asuna assumed, looking around. It didn't look like a prideful place to him.

"Hey, do you know if a guy named Riku is there?" Sora asked, walking up to her, "Or some bad guys in black hoods? Or maybe this really big bully named Pete?" "Easy on the twenty questions, Sora." Kirito told him, walking up to his side, then he whispered, "We don't know if they transformed like we did or not."

The two wildcats looked to the lioness, who shook her head to Sora's questions. Sora sighed then turned to the others. "Oh well, we might as well go take a look, anyway." he told them. The team nodded in response. "Wait, the Pride Lands are dangerous." the lioness warned them, "Scar and the hyenas have made things unbearable for everyone. There's no food left. They've driven off the prey. We're about to starve." "That's horrible." Asuna gasped, hearing her story. The lioness turned away from them.

"Hey, we have been through quite a few battles, and come out all right. We should be fine." Kirito assured her. "We can handle a little danger." Sora stated as he and Kirito walked up to her, "You just saw us beat those Heartless, didn't you?" The lioness couldn't deny the battle she saw the guys overcome. "I guess you're right..." she agreed, then she thought of something, "You could be just what the kingdom needs. Maybe you can help us."

"Let me guess; you want us to take on this 'Scar' beast and all those hyenas?" Asuna guessed, walking up to her. "Scar?" Donald repeated. "He took over when our last king, Mufasa, died." the lioness explained. "So you're saying this guy is your king." Sora summed up, "You want us to take down your king?" The lioness nodded. "Wait just a minute." Kirito told her, and the trio of wildcats huddled up with Donald, Goofy and Yui.

"We can't just go around knocking kings off their thrones." Asuna told them. "Then again," Sora cut in, "if they see that I'm stronger than their king, maybe they'll ask me to be their next king!" "Sora..." Goofy said sternly. "I'd have to refuse, of course." Sora corrected. Kirito placed a paw on his face and sighed, not convinced of Sora's last words.

"Still, I'd like to see the Pride Lands," Sora said, looking to the lioness, "so you guys don't mind lending 'em a paw, do you?" Sora didn't wait for an answer, for he dashed over to the lioness again. "Uh-oh, there he goes again..." Donald groaned. "Doesn't he ever take things seriously?" Kirito asked Donald and Goofy. They shook their heads. Kirito turned to Asuna, who shrugged in a 'lets just deal with it' way.

They saw Sora talk to the lioness, who nodded in response, then dashed right passed them. "She's gonna go on ahead and tell the other lionesses." Sora explained to them as he walked over, "We're supposed to meet her at a place called Pride Rock." He led the group forward through the graveyard, and finally out of it, catching up with the lioness.

**Chapter 2: Scar and Sora's Friend**

They finally made it to the savannah, which was vast and void of life. The sun wasn't shining here either, the few trees around them were bare, and the ground was just as dead of plant life. However, what wasn't dead were all the Heartless that impeded their path as they were dashing towards the large rock formation in the distance. There were Shadows, Soldiers, Living Rocks, Living Bones, and even some new ones for which Yui described as Ariel Knockers.

They manage to make it to Pride Rock, which was a majestic rock formation. There were lionesses sleeping around here and there as they passed. Kirito assumed that Pride Rock must be their home, hence the word 'pride'. As they walked forward, they saw the lioness they had met before walk down to them, with a hairy baboon that carried a walking stick right next to her. They walked right up to the five of them.

"That's him." the lioness said, directing the baboon's attention to Sora. The baboon got close to Sora's face, eying him. "Uh...what?" Sora asked, kind of feeling awkward. The baboon then looked to Kirito, Asuna, Goofy, and finally Donald. The lionesses resting from the side perked up when they saw the baboon look at them. He then turned back to the lioness, and whispered something in her ear. Based on her expression, Kirito assumed it wasn't good news. The other lionesses also looked sad, and rested once more.

"What is it?" Sora asked. "I told Rafiki you might be able to help us force Scar and the hyenas out of the Pride Lands. But he says it won't work." "Why? We're plenty strong." Kirito remarked. The lioness shook her head. "You see, whoever saves the Pride Lands will be our next king, and he has to have the right qualities." she explained. "Meaning..." Sora started. "I think she means you're not cut out for the job, Sora." Goofy told him. Sora made a depressed sigh, confirming Kirito's belief that Sora still wanted to be king.

"I'm sorry you came all this way." the lioness told them. "Hey, no- it's ok." Sora assured her. "Well, we should at least tell each other our names." Asuna stated, "I'm Asuna. He's Sora, and that's Kirito, Yui, Donald and Goofy." All of them nodded in response to their name. "I'm Nala." the lioness told them, coming up close and lowering her head so her voice wouldn't carry, "You'd better go before Scar finds out you're here. I'm really sorry." "Don't worry about it." Kirito replied as he turned to leave, "We'll be on our way."

They were just about to leave when three familiar hyenas impeded their path. At the same time, three other hyenas came up from behind them. The heroes glared at the enemies and looked ready to fight them. "Hey- a snack." said the male hyena. "Snack? Naw, we got us a five course meal." the female corrected as the deranged hyena laughed. "Don't bite off more than you can chew." Asuna warned them, preparing to strike.

Suddenly, a roar resounded around them. "Look at that, here comes Scar- the king." The group turned to see to lions standing at the end of Pride Rock. One had dark brown fur with a black mane, and a scar over one of his eyes. The other had brown and black fur, with a face that was too familiar to them. It was Pete's face.

"Seems like Pete's here, too!" growled Kirito, seeing the familiar face. Scar dashed over and leaped down the rocky side to them, and slowly crept towards them. Pete however, wasn't as graceful with his footwork, and halfway down he slipped and fell on his side. The heroes grimaced at the failure of a landing Pete's performed. "My back..." Pete moaned.

"What are you doing here?!" demanded Sora as Kirito and Asuna came to his side. "Aww, the cute li'l kitty's worried about me." Pete sassed at them, "If I were you, I'd be more worried about my friends!" The trio turned to see Donald and Goofy getting circled by the hyenas. "Sora! Kirito! Asuna!" Donald shouted. "Were surrounded!" wailed Goofy.

"Go on, ladies, you've got some hunting to do." Scar told Nala and the lionesses. "The herds have moved on, Scar." Nala retorted, "We can't hunt in a land with no prey." "No prey? Then what do you call this?" Scar asked, turning to the heroes. "We're not prey!" spat Sora. "We're your worst nightmare!" Kirito warned him. "Oh. Nice and fresh, too." Scar said, not even worried about Kirito's words.

"Well, they're all yours, Scar." Pete told him, and he ran off. Sora, Kirito and Asuna looked prepared for a fight. Scar was about to pounce on them when Nala leapt in, pinning Scar down. "Run!" she shouted to them. Kirito looked around, and knew when he needed to flee.

"I'll get us out of here!" Kirito declared, producing his Keyblade and charging at the hyenas. Thanks to all that special training, he slashed right through the horde of hyenas, leading the team out of there. Nala left Scar and ran towards them. "Follow me!" Nala shouted, and she led the crew away from Pride Rock.

As they walked through the savannah, they stopped to catch their breath. "I'm sorry I got you involved in this." she said apologetically. "It's no big deal." Sora replied. "Hey, it's not your fault." Yui assured her, flying out of Kirito's fur, "If you ask me, Sora's foolishness wouldn't make him a good king." "Hey! I had to give it a try, right?" Sora responded. "So you DID want to be king!" Goofy accused him. "Why am I not surprised?" Kirito sighed. "Well...you know..." muttered Sora.

Sora immediately tried to change the subject a bit. "Uh, Nala, isn't there anybody else who could be king?" he asked the lioness. "There was," she answered, "but he died... when he was just a cub. He was the son of our last king, Mufasa." She then sighed as she muttered, "If only Simba were here..."

"Simba?!" exclaimed Sora, causing Kirito and Asuna to look surprised, "But Simba's just fine! He was fighting right beside us not that long ago." Nala looked shocked and amazed at hearing this bit of news. "You mean Simba's alive?!" she asked, "But where is he?" "That... I don't know." Sora answered. "Still...Simba's alive!" Nala stated, "I can't believe it..."

"Hey, Goofy." whispered Asuna as they were talking, "One question; does Simba know about four-legged Sora, or two-legged Sora?" "Oh, he knows Sora, along with other worlds." Goofy told her. "Gotcha." Asuna finished, and she whispered what she found out to Kirito and Yui.

"...But first, we should get away from Scar." Nala stated, "We'll go through Wildebeest Valley. He won't follow us there." "Gotcha." Kirito answered after hearing Asuna's words. Nala led the group through the Pride Lands towards the valley. As they ran, Kirito saw some green leaves and flower petals flowing in the wind towards Pride Rock. _Well, at least there's still some hope for this land._ he thought as he ran with the group.

**Chapter 3: Meeting Simba**

The team were making their way towards the valley when they were impeded by a deep trench. The heroes looked down it. They couldn't see the bottom. "Woah..." Sora gasped, emphasizing what was on everyone's mind. Nala, however, wasn't perturbed by this. She backed away a few steps, and took a running leap over the trench, and made it to the other side. "Wow!" the group gasped.

Nala turned and saw the concerns on the guy's face from a distance. "What's wrong?" she asked. "We're never gonna make it." Sora shouted back. "Yeah, I don't think we can leap that far over." Kirito stated.

He looked to his side where Asuna should've been, but she wasn't there. Instead, she was backing up and, using her cheetah speed, made a fast dash and leaped over the trench, over to the other side. Kirito stood opened-mouthed as Asuna flicked the hair out of her eyes and looked at the crew. "Scaredy-cats." she taunted.

Yui flew out of Kirito's fur. "Donald, let's fly over to mama and Nala." she suggested to Donald, and the two flew over to the other side. Nala saw the trio right next to her, then she looked up at Sora, Kirito and Goofy and sighed. "I guess Rafiki was right." she muttered, indicating Sora. "Of course he was." Asuna agreed. "What?" shouted Sora. "Never mind." Nala dismissed, "It's not important." "Guys, I'll show you how to do it." Asuna told them. "You can do it!" cheered Yui.

Asuna and Nala explained how to do a better dash to them, and through her instructions, Sora and Kirito managed to work out how to leap over the trench. Goofy decided to also make a spinning leap over, causing him to hover over the trench and make it to the other side. Once the team made it to the other side, they continued on.

Kirito, now mastering his newfound dashing speed, started to race across the valley, and he even found ways of drifting through corners. However, he completely forgotten about the Heartless, and saw a few of them coming in his way. He tried to stop, but his speed caused him to skid across the ground, toppling the group of Heartless like a bunch of bowling pins. Massaging his head, he turned to see the Heartless dazed by his attack. "Well, I guess that's one way to do it." he stated as Sora, Asuna and the other came in and knocked down the dazed Heartless.

He decided to take things slow as he walked along with the others, dealing with all the Heartless that impeded their path. As they walked Nala started to tell them stories about Mufasa and Simba. "When Simba's father, King Mufasa, died, we were told that Simba died alongside him." Nala explained to them. "Who told you that?" Sora asked. "Scar." Nala answered. "And you believed him? After all that he put you through?" Kirito asked. Asuna nudged him so as not to sound rude.

Just then, they heard footsteps, and they turned to see Rafiki coming out of nowhere, walking up a small ridge right next to them. "It is time." he stated, waving his stick towards the end of Wildebeest Valley. The heroes were quite confused with what he meant, but Nala figured it out. "It must be Simba!" she exclaimed, "Everyone! Hurry!" She dashed on ahead, with Asuna keeping up with her. "Wait up!" Sora shouted as he and the other followed from behind. "I'm starting to get a bit jealous that Asuna's the fast cat in our group." Kirito stated to Sora, who smiled in amusement.

The team were dashing through the valley as the sky started to get bright, and the sun started to show itself, they swerved along with the path, taking out the Heartless they met. They started to see a jungle oasis off in the distance. "Finally, someplace full of life." Asuna stated as she took out a new Heartless called a Shaman. The team raced through the pathway, and finally made it to the jungle.

Nala was also surprised that this place that it was still full of life, and she decided to part ways with them so as to find food. The others dashed on ahead, running through the jungle, where there were an abundance of Heartless scattered everywhere. There were even Shamans that rode headless Living Bones, which proved to be a bit more difficult. They worked their way through them, gathered some dropped items, and continued forward.

They made it to an oasis part of the jungle where they stopped to see a group of Ariel Knockers surrounding a male lion. He looked around the same age as Nala, blond fur and he had reddish-light brown mane. "Looks like he could use some help." indicated Kirito, about to step forward, but Sora stopped him. "Don't worry." he answered, "He's got this." Kirito looked confused for a second, then he realized that this lion must be Simba.

He turned and watched as one of the Heartless drew in closer. Simba made a resounding roar to the group around him. This caused the Heartless to get scared and disappear in a blink of an eye. Once the coast was clear, Sora and the other raced towards him.

"Simba!" he called out, getting the lion's attention. He hunched down, ready to attack them. Kirito, Asuna and Yui stayed back while the other three came closer. "I-it's me, Sora!" he told him, "Donald and Goofy are here, too." Simba walked to them and looked at the trio, and suddenly realized who they were. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!" he exclaimed in pleasure. He pounced on top of Sora in a playful way, glad to see his friend. Donald and Goofy laughed at him. Asuna and Yui joined in the laughter while Kirito smiled in amusement.

"What happened to you?" he asked Sora, seeing Sora's body. "The world's rule changed their body to what you see them as." Yui answered, flying over to Simba, who noticed the newcomers. "Don't worry, their friends of ours." Sora assured Simba as he got off of him, "That's Yui. The other two are Kirito and Asuna." "Nice to meet you." Kirito said to Simba, bowing slightly. Asuna waved a paw at him. "Great to meet you, too." Simba replied. Kirito couldn't help but admire him slightly, after how he scared off the Heartless.

Suddenly, the group heard a couple of screams coming from in the jungle. "Help! Simba! Heeelp!" someone shouted. "She's gonna eat us!" cried out the other voice. "Timon? Pumbaa?!" Simba shouted back. No response. "Something must have happened in the jungle!" Simba assumed, "I have to go help my friends!" "Okay, we'll back you up!" Sora told him, and the group dashed into the jungle once more.

When they got there, they saw Nala walking towards a meerkat and a warthog, who were cowering in a corner. She was about to pounce on them when Simba leapt in, knocking her over. The two lions then began to brawl with the others watching from the sidelines. "Simba! Wait!" Sora shouted. Simba wasn't hearing Sora as he was fighting Nala. "Stop!" shouted Donald. "That lioness is Nala!" Asuna cried out, "Don't you recognize her?"

The two lions kept fighting, rolling about until Nala finally pinned Simba down to the ground. At this moment, Simba finally recognized who he was fighting with. "Nala?" he questioned. Nala, surprised that he knew her name, got off him and backed away as Simba got up. "It's me, Simba!" he told her. Nala took a good look at her, and got excited. The two circled each other, exchanging words of pleasure.

"Hey! What's going on here?!" the meerkat asked as he and the warthog watched the the two realized that Sora, Kirito and the others were right behind them. They slowly turned and, after seeing three wildcats behind them, panicked and ran off. The meerkat hid behind Simba's paws while the warthog tried curling himself up over to one side.

"Don't worry. They're all friends of mine." Simba assured the meerkat at his feet. "So that means...nobody's panning to eat anybody else for lunch, right?" the meerkat summed up. The heroes nodded in response. "Are you sure they don't wanna eat me like I'm some kinda pig?!" moaned the warthog. "We won't..." Sora answered. "...but you are a pig, right?" Kirito asked. "Call me Mr. Pig!" the warthog snapped, turning to them. Everyone laughed at the warthog.

Once they stopped laughing, Simba bent down to the meerkat and asked, "Could you guys excuse us for a few minutes?" "Why am I not surprised?" the meerkat sighed. Simba and Nala walked off, having things they needed to discuss.

"So, if you guys are Simba's friends, then which one of you is Timon and which is Pumba?" Kirito asked. "I'm Timon. He's Pumba." the meerkat answered, addressing himself and the warthog. "Nice to meet you." Sora greeted them, "I'm Sora, and this is Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy and Yui." each of them waved to the twosome.

"Ooh, lookie there. A snack!" Pumba said, looking as Yui. "You try doing so, and you will be the our lunch." Asuna growled at Pumba, causing him to shakily step back from her and Yui. "Sorry." he said to Yui. "It's ok." she replied, waking it off, "You shouldn't worry about it."

"You mean 'Hakuna Matata'." Timon corrected her. "Hakuna Matata?" Donald echoed. "Yeah, it means 'no worries'." Timon answered him, "It's something that we taught Simba. Look, bad things happen, and you can't do anything about it, right?" "I guess so." Kirito answered. "Wrong!" punctuated Timon, "When the world turns it back on you, you turn your back on the world." "That doesn't solve anything." Asuna stated.

"Simply put, you gotta put your behind in your past." Pumba stated. "No, no, no. It's 'you gotta put your past behind ya'." quoted Timon. "Oh, I get it!" said Sora, realizing what he meant. Kirito, however, wasn't too fond of such things. "I'm gonna go get some water." he told them, turning to leave. "Let me come with you." Asuna said as she and Yui came to his side. The trio walked away from the group. "Jeez, what's his problem?" Timon asked the others. "Nothing. That's just how he is at times." Sora answered.

"I'm sure they mean well with what they're saying." Kirito said, "But there are some things in the past you can never put behind." He thought about all the things that happened to him and Asuna during SAO and ALO. "I know." Asuna agreed, "There just going by the old saying 'ignorance is bliss'."

Kirito led the other to the oasis, where Simba and Nala were talking about things. He didn't want to hear them, and walked along the log. "To me, the past maybe troublesome, and at times you should let go of it." Kirito stated, walking with one paw at a time over the log, "However, all the troubles and tribulations you go through can make you stronger."

He got to the other side along with Asuna and Yui as he continued, "Think about it; if it hadn't been for that two year long experience in SAO, we wouldn't have met, and neither would I have met all my friends." Asuna and Yui smiled at him, grateful for that incident. "There's always a silver lining in everything, right?" Asuna asked him. Yui flew on top of Kirito's head as he smiled and nodded.

The trio drank up some water, looked around the oasis for a bit, and found more torn pages to Pooh's storybook. They would give it to Sora later on. They also noticed that Simba's and Nala's conversation wasn't going that well, though they didn't want to get in closer to hear.

After a while, they saw Timon leading Sora and the others in a conga line of sorts as they came out of the jungle. "Hakuna!" Timon quoted. "Matata!" the others replied as they followed him. Kirito and Asuna looked to each other, and rolled their eyes in unison. Their friends really were carefree.

As they came up to the group, Nala was walking away from Simba, who walked off on his own. "He's not the Simba I remember." she scoffed as she passed by the group, "Something about Hakuna Matata..." She walked into the jungle and disappeared. "Why doesn't she like Hakuna Matata?" Timon asked, "It's a wonderful phrase!" "You guys just don't understand." Kirito said to them, "There are flaws in what you believe in."

"Well, we should at least try to cheer Simba up." Sora suggested, looking to see Simba looking out over the cliff. The group agreed and they wandered over to him. However, Simba merely passed by them and walked into the jungle.

For the rest of the day, they didn't see Simba. They did find Nala, however, and Asuna reassured her that they'll straighten this whole thing out, even though she didn't really know how. Nala had faith in the five heroes, and decided she'll stay in the jungle for the time being. In the meantime, Kirito decided to take a catnap. All that he went through that day really wore him and the others out. The team rested for some time.

**Chapter 4: The King's Revival**

Kirito was the first of the group to wake. He saw that night had fallen, and the skies were clear, so the stars were shining. He slowly got up and silently walked around the others, deciding to take a stroll in the jungle. He wandered around for a while until he made it to the grassy plains, looking at the stars. They seem to make him at ease as they twinkled above him. He looked forward, and noticed someone ahead of him. Getting closer, he saw Simba pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. Kirito hid himself close to where Simba was at.

"My father's dead." Simba stated, "And it's because of me... It's my fault. I can't go back... It won't change anything." Kirito looked at him as he looked up at the stars. He wondered what Simba could've done that would make him believe his father's death was his fault. "You said you'd always be there for me!" Simba shouted to the stars, "But you're not... It's because of me. It's my fault." He looked pretty sad as he looked down in shame.

Suddenly, he heard somebody chanting, and so did Simba. They looked towards the jungle and saw the image of a baboon shaking the branches in the trees. Kirito recognized it was Rafiki. He came down, swinging on a low branch as he continued to chant, which disturbed Simba.

"Come on, can you cut it out?" he moaned to the baboon. "Can't cut it out! It grow right back!" Rafiki answered as he came down to Simba, then he started to laugh. Kirito watched as Simba tried walking away, but Rafiki kept pursuing him. "Will you stop following me?" Simba told to Rafiki, "Who are you?" "The question is who are you?" Rafiki responded. Simba tried to answer, but he closed his mouth an exhaled deeply. "I thought I knew." he answered, "Now I'm not so sure."

"Well I know who you are." Rafiki responded, "You're Mufasa's boy." Simba looked astonished that he was able to know such a thing. "You knew my father?" Simba asked him. "Correction, I know your father." Rafiki answered. Simba looked at him, then he sighed. "I hate to tell you this, but he died a long time ago." Simba told him. "Nope. Wrong again!" Rafiki retaliated, side stepping Simba as he went to the edge of the jungle, "He's alive, and I'll show him to you. You follow old Rafiki. He knows the way." He then dashed into the jungle, with Simba in pursuit. Kirito followed swiftly and silently behind the two of them.

The trio raced through the jungle until they arrived back at the oasis again. Kirito dashed into the bushes, where he spied on them as Rafiki beckoned Simba over to the water's edge. He looked up at the spot where his friends should've been sleeping, but they weren't there. He then felt a paw tapping his back, and he turned to see Asuna and Sora standing there, with Yui, Donald, Goofy, Timon, Pumba, and even Nala standing there. Asuna shushed him, and pointed to the scene before them, and the group watched.

Simba looked down into the water, but saw nothing but his mirror image in the pool. "That's not my father." Simba moaned, turning away, "That's just my reflection." "No. Look harder." Rafiki told him, and he waved to the waved to the water, which rippled as Simba looked into it. Suddenly a different lion appeared in his reflection. His father's face. "You see? He lives in you." Rafiki said to the astonished Simba.

"Simba..." echoed a deep voice. Simba turned towards the cliffside, and saw a swirling of clouds gathering in the sky. "Father?" he asked, racing to the edge and looking into the sky. The group of spies couldn't see anything, so they slowly crept out to Rafiki's side and stared into the sky as the ghostly image of a lion appeared in the clouds.

"Simba... you have forgotten who you are." the lion said to Simba, "You must take your place in the Circle of Life." "How can I go back?" retorted Simba, "I'm not who I used to be." "Remember who you are." the lion responded, who's body almost looked like it became alive, "You are my son, and the one true king. Remember who you are." The ghost started to disappear as he continued to echo 'remember', until he finally disappeared. Simba dashed forward as he looked into the sky, watching his father's image disappear, and the sky turned clear.

For a while, there was silence, then he spoke, "You can all come out now." The group came out of the shadows, encircling Simba. "What was that?!" exclaimed Rafiki, parting through the group as he was trying to be oblivious to what they just saw, "The weather. Pppwe! Very paculiar don't you think?" "Yeah." agreed Simba, "Looks like the winds are changing." "Ah, yes. Change is good." Rafiki quoted as Kirito came to his side, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, but it's not gonna be easy." Simba stated, "I know what I have to do. But going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long."

Kirito sighed and looked to Rafiki. "Mind if I borrow this?" he asked, grabbing Rafiki's staff. He then jumped up and whacked it on top of Simba's head, surprising everyone. "Ow! Jeez, what was that for?!" cried Simba, rubbing his head as Kirito spat out the stick. "Why should you care? It's in the past!" Kirito responded. "Yeah, but it still hurts." Simba moaned as he rubbed his head. "Of course it hurts." Kirito scolded him, "Believe me, I know. But what matters is how you deal with it. Are you gonna run from it, or are you gonna learn from it?"

Everyone started to see the point Kirito was making. Asuna saw that Kirito was starting to see a bit of himself in Simba, so he had to knock some sense into him. Rafiki grinned and nodded with what Kirito was saying. Simba had to think about what Kirito was saying, then he looked to him. "Thanks. I needed that." Simba said to Kirito, who smirked in response.

Simba then turned to the crowd as he said, "I'm going back to face my past. I could use your help." Sora and the others nodded in agreement. Nala looked happy at Simba's answer. "He really is a king..." muttered Timon. The sun started to rise behind Simba, showing him off in a proud way.

A light shined from above Kirito, and down came a Keyblade keychain, which landed in front of him. Instead of chain links, it was a vine, with an emblem of what looked like a lion head on the end. "That's the 'Circle of Life' Keyblade." Yui explained, looking at it. Kirito picked it up, deciding to take it. Sora and Asuna weren't complaining.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sora asked as Kirito put the keychain away **(don't ask me how)**, "Let's go!" The group cheered in response as Sora, Simba and Kirito led the group out of the oasis and through the jungle, going back to the Pride Lands once more.

**Chapter 5: The Fight at Pride Rock**

As they dashed through the wastelands and Wildebeest Valley, Kirito noticed just how well Simba fought. His fighting skills as a lion were really good, with his spinning claws and his powerful roars. He fought really well against all the Heartless as they pressed through the path.

It took a while, but they made it back to the savannah. Simba crawled up to a high place and looked out to the land, gasping at the devastation it faced. "It's horrible, isn't it?" Nala said, coming to Simba's side. "Wait a minute. We're gonna fight your uncle for THIS?" Timon asked, seeing the savannah. "Yes, Timon." Simba answered, "This is my home." Timon grumbled a little, but he decided not to worry about it too much as he and everyone else got down and raced through the Pride Lands.

As they got closer to the side of Pride Rock, they rounded the corner, and noticed a horde of hyenas resting, impeding their path. "Hyenas. I hate hyenas." moaned Timon, then he whispered, "So what's your plan for getting past these guys?" "Live bait." Simba answered. "Good idea...hey!" Timon muttered, realizing that he and Pumba were suppose to be the bait. "Come on, Timon." Kirito encouraged him, "You guys have to create a diversion." "What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?" Timon suggested.

Moments later, "Luau!" shouted Timon, dressed in a hawaiian look, with Pumba sitting there with an apple in his mouth, and the two went through, what Kirito thought, an embarrassing song and dance routine. However, it drew the hyenas in, causing the others to slip by. As they rounded the corner, they heard Timon and Pumba's routine end, and then they started to scream as they were chased off by the hyenas. "I need to make a mental block of that scene." Kirito muttered to Asuna, who was suppressing the urge to burst out laughing.

As the group went to Pride Rock, the team split up; Simba went up the side while the others went down the middle, going towards the lionesses. There were still more hyena here. The sky started to turn stormy, and lightning started to glow in the clouds.

Scar was perched at the top of Pride Rock when he turned and saw Simba standing at the top of the hill, glaring down at him. Scar cringed in fright as he started backing away as Simba leapt down at him. "Simba! You're...alive!" Scar gasped in fright. "This kingdom doesn't belong to you." Simba growled at him as the others made their way behind Simba. "Simba's the rightful king." Nala shouted.

Scar backed himself into a corner as Simba moved forward. "The choice is yours, Scar." he warned him, "Either step down or fight." Scar looked to where he was at, but he still had a trump card. "Must this all end in violence?" he asked Simba, sidestepping him, "I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member, Simba..." "I've put the past behind me." Simba growled. "But what about your faithful subjects?" Scar asked, eying Sora, Kirito and the others, "Have they?"

"Simba, what's he talking about?" Nala asked Simba. "Go on." Scar told Simba, coming to his side, "Tell them who's responsible for Mufasa's death!" Simba looked nervous and sad, but he finally sighed, "I am." Everyone was startled at this. Simba killed his father?

Scar started to back him off towards the end of Pride Rock. "You see, he admits it! Murderer!" he taunted, "If it weren't for you, Mufasa would still be alive. Do you deny it?" "No! But it was an accident!" defended Simba. "You're in trouble again." Scar taunted still, "But this time, Daddy isn't her to save you. And now everyone knows why!"

Suddenly, Simba's back paws slipped off the end of Pride Rock, and he managed to hold on with his front paws as he hanged there. "Simba!" shouted Nala, Sora and Asuna. A fork of lightning shot out of the sky and shot at some dried bushes, which started to burn. Smoke came up to meet them as Scar got to where Simba struggled to get back up.

"Now this looks familiar. I think I've seen this before." Scar said amusingly, "Oh yes! I remember. This is just the way your father looked...before he died." Scar then dug his claws into Simba's claws as he got in closer. "And here's my little secret..." he said to Simba, bending in close so he could whisper, "I killed Mufasa."

This news infuriated Simba, and with one leap he got back up on the platform again and pounced on top of Scar, pressing his front paws into his neck. "Murderer!" he accused Scar, causing the others to gasp in surprise, "Tell them the truth!" "All right. All right!" Scar gasped, "I did it." "Louder!" roared Simba. "I killed Mufasa." Scar's voice boomed throughout Pride Rock.

The hyenas went to work, about to attack Simba, but the lionesses blocked them, and they started to quarrel with one another. Even Rafiki joined the battle, and he was like a kung-fu master out there! The trio of hyenas the heroes had to deal with came out of the cave and attacked Simba, knocking him off of Scar so that he could escape into the cave.

The three hyenas surrounded Simba, blocking him from going. "Simba!" shouted Sora as he, Kirito and Asuna got into the middle with him, "You get Scar! We'll handle these guys!" Simba nodded and took off after Scar as more hyenas came to join the trio.

Just then, Pumba came charging out of nowhere, with Timon on top. "`Scuse me! Pardon me! Comin' through! Hot stuff!" Timon shouted as Pumba bowled right through the hyenas. Timon got off Pumba, and the two looked from side to side, saw that they were still surrounded by hyenas and ran off, with the trio of hyenas leading the remainder of the pack in pursuit. Kirito's eyes went vicious as he charged at the pack, and knocked them out of the way, leaving the trio who went into the cave. "Come on!" he shouted, and he led the group, along with Nala, into the cave.

Inside, he found the three hyenas cornering Pumba and Timon into a corner. The team dashed in and stood between the two friends and the hyenas. "Goofy! Donald! Nala! You guys protect those two!" Sora shouted, "We'll deal with this!" Sora stepped forward to the male hyena, which he was soon to know as Banzai. "This ones mine." Asuna growled as she stepped towards the female, who was named Shenzai. "Guess that leaves me with this one." Kirito summed up, turning to the deranged one, who was named Ed.

The trio of fights started with one another. Although the hyenas were swift, their fighting skills were a little lacking. Shenzai was the clever one of the bunch, though not as quick thinking nor as fast as Asuna. Banzai kept trying to sidestep Sora in order to get to Timon and Pumba, but Sora's skills were more than enough to stop him. Ed was just plain stupid, and he tried to do the same attack at Kirito every time, who blocked it every time and retaliated strong.

The trio of wildcats knocked back the hyenas silly until they finally left. They took off out of the cave as the group gathered once more. "Where's Simba?" Sora asked. "He went up there." Nala answered, directing the group to the other end of the cave, which let upwards, "That leads to the peak of Pride Rock." "Right." Kirito understood, "Nala, stay here with Timon and Pumba. We'll go see Simba." The team went up the pathway to meet Simba, ready for the final clash with Scar.

**Chapter 6: Vs. Heartless Scar**

The team ran up the side of Pride Rock until they reached the top, where they saw Scar and Simba circling one another. The smoke frothed the air all around them, coming from the flames below. Simba was breathing heavily as he glared at Scar. "Simba!" Donald shouted, aiming to help him, but Kirito and Sora stopped him. "This is his fight, Donald." Sora stated. "Leave this battle to him." Kirito added.

The group watched as the two made a lunge for one another, swiping each other at the face. One of Scar's swipes knocked Simba away onto his back. Simba looked and saw Scar about to pounce him, but he used his hind legs to push him through mid pounce, causing him to fall off the edge and scream as he fell down. Simba raced towards the edge to see him fall. It looked like the battle was Simba's victory.

"You're okay!" shouted Sora as he and the others raced towards him. "You defeated Scar!" cheered Asuna. Simba turned to his friends, sighed in relief, believing it was over.

"Aw, that was just a sneak preview!" chuckled a deep voice, "Cause this ain't over-not by a long shot!" The team turned to see Pete come up to meet them. "Why? You just feelin' like a sore loser?" Asuna asked, glaring at him. Pete laughed and pointed a paw to the spot Scar fell over. The team turned and saw, to their astonishment, Scar's paw rising up to meet them once again. He was alive!

"Anger and jealousy turned the king of Pride Rock into a Heartless!" Pete explained as the group saw Scar leaping up to meet them, a black aura surrounding his body, "Oh, your kingdom's gonna rise again. But this time, as the Pride Lands of Darkness!" Simba backed away as the sky turned eerie around them. "That's what you think!" he growled as the group gathered to face Scar, now a Heartless.

The battle ensued, and the team went off in pairs; Asuna and Donald, Kirito and Goofy, and Sora and Simba. The team did their best to try attacking Scar, but he was enduring and incredibly fast. Even Asuna was having a hard time avoiding his speedy attacks. He tried pouncing on top of Kirito, and the two started to roll around until Kirito finally shrugged him off, and slicing him with a flurry of attacks.

He then started to do techniques which he would've not had if he wasn't a Heartless. He started to produce Fire magic around him, and even his leaps produced flames where ever he touched, causing serious trouble for the group. He kept leaping from every angle, almost impossible to hit. "This guy's fierce!" Sora muttered as they fought, making a slash at Scar, only to be repelled by the flames.

They waited for moments when he paused in his attacks before striking, but he was still pretty enduring, and kept on going. He also changed tactics where every leap he made, he made a trail of lightning strikes through his leap, keeping everyone at bay. Asuna kept from a distance and tried firing Blizzard attacks when he slowed down, but it still wasn't enough to stop him. "Ah, just fall already!" Kirito shouted through his Keyblade as he attempted to strike, only to be shocked by the electricity.

It was pretty obvious that they had to avoid getting hit while he was in action, and waited for the right opportunity to strike at him. It also seemed like Goofy's attacks seemed to do make him a bit more vulnerable at times, making it golden opportunities to strike. However, fiery and thunder pounces weren't Scar's only attacks. He had something far worse.

About midway through the battle, the black aura around him started to get fierce, and four black energy orbs surrounded his body. He started to charge at dashing speeds, and was even flying out the outer edge of the peak. He then would dash at the members, and he homed in on them. He knocked Sora, Donald, Goofy and Simba aside with this attack. Asuna's dashing speeds were enough to avoid getting hit. Kirito, however, kept charging at Scar every time he made a move. The two would clash, and it always ended up with Kirito getting tossed aside.

In the end, Kirito's last attack on Scar's final charge knocked him out cold. He laid there, battered and bruised from the relentless assault. "Kirito!" shouted Sora and a terrified Asuna. Donald and Goofy went to his side while Asuna went into a fierce rage, and started to do a relentless assault on Scar, not even giving him a chance to recover. Simba and Sora joint up together, and the two went into a Limit break on Scar.

They leapt into the air, and slammed their paws into the ground, which caused rocks to erupt around them, damaging Scar. Then Sora and Simba started to dash towards Scar and spin in the air at him quickly, slashing furiously. Finally, Sora and Simba stood beside each other and roared loudly, creating an energy field around them that damaged Scar greatly. The combined attack of Asuna's ferocious attack and Sora's and Simba's Limit Break caused immense damage to Scar, though it wasn't enough to stop them.

Donald and Goofy had just finished restoring Kirito again. He got back to his feet again just as the others leapt back to avoid getting hit by Scar's attack. "What'd I miss?" he asked, seeing Scar still up. "You reckless idiot!" Asuna scolded him, "Don't ever scare me like that again!" She turned to him, and Kirito noticed the tears in her eyes. She was that worried about him. "...Sorry." he mumbled, getting right between Sora and Asuna as Simba made another attempt to attack Scar.

"Man, there's no end to how much he can take." complained Sora, seeing Scar still fighting strong. "With all that running around, it's really making it a pain for us to attack him." Asuna stated, seeing Scar going into another fiery prance around the stage, damaging Simba again. "Yui, is there anything we can do?" Sora asked the butterfly as she flew from one side.

"I think there might be a way." Yui answered, "I believe in this world, you three can undergo a unique trio Limit Break." "We can do that?" Asuna asked, amazed. Yui nodded, then said, "But it can only work in this world, and it requires everyone's magic power." "In that case..." Asuna started, then she pulled out two bottles of ether, and handed one to Sora. The two restored their magic power, and were ready to strike. "Let's go!" Sora declared, and the trio closed their eyes and focused their powers together. Finally, their bodies started to glow, and they went into the Limit Break 'Beast Trinity'.

They opened their eyes, which grew fierce like animals, and they went into action. Asuna started with 'Wild Cross', in which the team focused energy onto Asuna, and she dashed at blinding speeds across the area, damaging Scar as she left a white line of energy where ever she left.

Kirito was up next with 'Beast Fury', and with the focused energy power he gained, his claws grew incredibly long, and he started slashing wildly all around, damaging Scar even further.

Sora ended with 'Anima Roar', in which the crew's focused energy drew Sora to unleash a roar that caused a burst of energy all around them, sending Scar flying.

Finally, the team grouped together, produced their Keyblade, and grasped them with their tails. They connected the tips, and a final burst of energy came surging out, with multiple spirits of their animal forms spreading every which-way, homing on any opponent in the vicinity. In this case, it was Scar. The final move was called 'Wildcat Finale'.

There was a bright light, and the trio stood there, with Simba, Donald, Goofy and Yui at their side. In front of them, Scar was still up, slowly staggering towards them, trying to stay up. Finally, the dark aura flashed, and he toppled over, dead. The area turned back to normal around them, and the skies started to form rain, washing away all the flames and smoke from down below. The final battle was over.

The group turned to the spot Pete was standing, but he disappeared. He probably fled near the end. Sora looked to Simba, who looked back at him. Sora smirked as he said, "Let's just tell everyone you defeated him, ok?" Asuna and Kirito nodded in agreement. The last thing they needed was to mess up the world. Simba nodded in agreement, prepared to take his rightful place.

**Chapter 7: Never Forget the Past**

It was still raining when they came down from the peak. The fires died down, and the smoke cleared. Nala, Timon, Pumba, Rafiki and the rest of the lionesses were waiting for them. Rafiki pointed Simba towards the end of Pride Rock. The rest of the team went down to the side and looked up as Simba made his way up the rock towards the end.

He then looked up to the sky, and saw a patch of the clear night sky behind it. For a moment there, he could've sworn he heard his father's echo saying 'remember...who you are'. He paused, then let out a deafening roar to the sky. The lionesses followed suit with their roars of approval as Simba made another roar.

Then suddenly, in the sky, more swirling clouds appeared in front of Simba, and the image of his father appeared once more, this time shining with a burst of familiar light. The light parted the storm clouds as it shone down onto Simba and the rest of the land. Sora, Asuna and Kirito gathered together once more, ready to perform their task. They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they as the sky's light bursted around them. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light made a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

"Hey, what's with the light show?" Timon asked as he and Pumba finished watching the spectacle. "We have to say goodbye for a little while." Sora told them. "But we'll be back. That's a promise." Kirito added. He found his animal form quite comfortable.

"I'll go tell Simba." Pumba stated. "Aw, he's prob'ly busy." Goofy said to him. "Just tell him that we'll be back soon." said Asuna. "Oh. that's right, he's king now." Timon remembered, "He's gonna be so busy he'll prob'ly forget all about his two best buddies." "I'm sure he'll remember." Asuna assured them.

"Well, you always got Hakuna Matata, right?" Sora reminded them. "Guess so..." Pumba answered. "Whaddaya mean, 'Guess so'?!" cried Timon, "What if he forgets to tell the carnivores who we are? One look at you, and you're a pig roast." This did not improve the situation.

"That's MISTER Pig Roast." Donald corrected. "Same thing!" cried a terrified Pumba, "And I'm not sticking around to be anybody's pork dinner!" He turned and ran off quickly, with Timon calling out to him and chasing after him. "You can never forget your true buddies." Sora stated. "That's for sure." Kirito agreed, "That's why I say that you can never leave your past behind you. Cause that's what brought you to who you are today." Everybody nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, in the sky, three Magic orbs appeared from above them, and flew down to them. "Those are more Fire Elements." Yui explained, "With these, your fire spells will be upgraded to Fira spells." "So our fire attacks have improved, huh?" Asuna asked as she, Kirito and Sora all absorbed their Magic orbs, "Sounds great. Can't wait to try it."

The trio looked to Simba, who walked back to Nala and Rafiki. He and Nala rubbed their heads in a loving matter, then walked into the cave. "Guess this means were off." Sora stated, "Let's go back to the adventure." Everyone nodded in agreement and, without anyone looking, they teleported out of there, back to their ship again.

**I decided to change the ending song. It will be the english rendition of 'Snow Fairy' from Fairy Tale. It has Yui flying around with all the other characters, so it fits.**

_(Cue ending song)_

**Well, that was fun! What did you think of all of it? I hope you also liked the unique Trinity Limit I added for Kirito, Asuna and Sora. Don't worry, their human Trinity one is gonna be different, and it will activate near the end of the story.**

**You know, I know I'm not even halfway through this story, but I'm already thinking about a sequel for 'Sword Art Kingdom'. Think about it; there are alternate dimensions, so their should be more worlds, too! Instead of Disney, however, I'll take some of my favorite anime and video game worlds, and create a new story there! With Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Donald and Goofy working together as usual, there gonna be new adventures just waiting for them. Doesn't that sound cool?**

**Alright, let's talk about the here and now, or rather next episode. It's back to Hollow Bastion again, and not only will they reunite with Leafa and Recon, but will enter a new world that everybody was waiting for since I added the SAO character; Tron's world. It will be interesting to see what happens there! Not to mention epic battles, crazy stories, and a new perspective on things.**

**By the way, I'm doing a poll on my profile, in which decides the fate of a dead SAO character; Sachi. Due to Tron's world having the ability to bring people between the digital world and the reality world, I think it could work. It could be a way to revive SAO characters data, including people like Sachi (or possibly Kayaba if people want), only thing is, your votes matter! So vote on my profile; should Sachi come back, not, or the other two choices? Vote!**


	18. Ep 15: Ansem's Computer! World of Data!

**Sorry it took a while. College was taking time up for me. Anyways, here's the next episode.**

**One Keyblade is made by Deviant Art user 'Magic-Lover2128'. Give him some respect!**

**Prologue**

After Sora, Kirito and the gang left Twilight Town, Leafa and Recon went through the black portal that Namine created all the way to Hollow Bastion. When they got there, they walked straight into the doorsteps of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee. They entered in, and were introduced to Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid and Merlin. When they told them they were friends of Sora, Kirito and Asuna, they accepted them...well, Leon still had to test Leafa's skills out, and she managed to pass their battle.

Merlin taught Leafa and Recon a few new spells, which were Stop, Cure, and through a troublesome challenge, upgraded their Aero to Aerora. These proved to be useful since there were an abundant of Heartless and Nobodies in the streets of Hollow Bastion. This sure gave the two something to work with over the next couple days. They helped wherever they could with the Restoration Committee. They were even given Membership cards. Once again, they were feeling welcomed to the people of this world, too. Throughout the town, they met a few other characters, but that will be explained later. Leafa even met one that had the same vibe as her brother.

On the second day since their arrival, Leon and Aerith were leading Leafa and Recon to the castle under construction. They had to deal with a bunch of Heartless, along with several Nobodies, but they found their way through. Aerith decided to go back as Leon led the two in.

"So, what is it were trying to find?" Leafa asked. "Information that Ansem might have." Leon answered. "Ansem?" echoed Recon. "Someone we had to deal with a while back." Leon explained, "He use to be a brilliant man, but then he turned evil, and started controlling the Heartless. However, Sora and his friends defeated him." "Wow, Sora did all that?" Leafa asked, "He must be strong. It's no wonder Kirito and Asuna hang out with him."

They found their way to Ansem's room. It was circular, with a table in the middle, bookshelves, papers and panels with data on them, and a large painting of Ansem on one side. It also looked battered and abandoned. "Look here." Leon told them, pointing to one part of the room. On the wall, there was what looked like a keyhole there. There were grooved edges along the wall that made it look like it was a door to somewhere.

"So? Can't you open it?" Recon asked, eyeing the keyhole. "No." Leon answered, "But you probably can with your Keyblade." He looked to Leafa, who still had her Keyblade at hand after defeating the Heartless and Nobodies. She looked to her weapon, then to the lock. It looked too big to fit her Keyblade into. But then again, Namine did tell them that the Keyblade can unlock any lock. She never taught her how, though.

"Let me give it a try." said a voice from behind them. The team turned and saw someone in Organization XII clothes. He was short, had large round ears, and his face looked like a mouse. "The King." Leon said, explaining who it was to Leafa and Recon. The two looked at Leon, then to the person in front of them, then cried in exasperation. "Y-Y-You're the King?!" Leafa shouted. The King shushed them, and Leafa and Recon covered their mouths. "Sorry." Leafa apologized.

"You must be the two people that Riku helped out before." the King said to them. Recon and Leafa nodded. "I'm Leafa, and this is Recon." Leafa introduced themselves, "Namine sent us to this world to make sure things are safe." "So, are you this king that Sora, Donald and Goofy are looking for?" Recon asked him. "Call me Mickey." the King corrected them. He raised his hand, and Leafa and Recon shook with him.

"Mickey, you think you can open this?" Leon asked the king. Mickey nodded, and he conjured up a Keyblade. It was gold with a silver handle. "You can use the Keyblade too?" Leafa asked him. "Yep." Mickey answered, "Let me show you how to unlock things with it."

Mickey pointed the tip of his Keyblade to the hole. His Keyblade lit up, and a beam of light shot to the keyhole. The hole lit up, and they heard the sound of a lock being undone. The keyhole disappeared afterwards. "Woah..." Leafa gasped. "First time seeing that, huh?" Leon asked, seeing the expression on her face. "Wish I could do that." muttered Recon.

Leon stepped forward and pressed his hand on the spot the keyhole was at. It disappeared, and the grooves on the wall lit up brightly, revealing a corridor behind it. Leon and Mickey led the two through the door. Through there, they found themselves facing an immense room, the walls had, what looked like, capsules sticking out. "What is this place used for?!" gasped Leafa, running to the guard rail and looking around, "Probably has to with something based on Ansem's research." Mickey answered, looking around.

The team saw a separate room, and in it, they saw a large computer, with unusual technology behind it. The back wall of the room looked like an eye was looking at them. "What is this room?" Recon asked, looking around. "The room we've been looking for." Leon answered. "Ansem's computer!" Mickey stated.

_(Cue opening song)_

**Chapter 1: Cloud**

Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy and Yui and all just come out of teleportation, arriving down in Hollow Bastion once more. They arrived at the same spot as the first time. As they were stepping forward, a bunch of Soldier Heartless were racing up the stairs, startling the crew. Just as they came up, they disappeared in a blink of an eye.

"What was that?" Asuna asked. "Do you think..." Sora started as he and Asuna eyed each other. "Looks like there's more Heartless now." Goofy examined. Just as he said that, a bunch of Dusks came flying up the stairs, then dive over the railing and disappear. "Looks like more Nobodies are here, too." Yui stated. Donald moaned. "I hope Sugu and Recon are doing ok." Kirito muttered, worried for his sister.

"Let's go check in with everyone." Sora stated. "I think they're at Merlin's." Goofy recalled. Kirito moved forward first, leading the team into the town. They went to the shops and bought more accessories, armor equipment and potions. Sora decided to get an Abas Chain. They went to the Moogle shop, gave all the materials and recipes they've gathered, and created an Elixir, a Blizzaga Armlet for Asuna, and a Midnight Anklet for Kirito.

As they continued to the stairs, Sora stopped as he saw someone leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. Kirito stopped as well, feeling a powerful strength coming from the guy. He was tall, with blond, spiky hair. He was dressed in a long black, zipped-up coat, complete with belts with silver buckles wrapped around his chest and waist. He wore a silver pendant on his cross straps, which looked like an animal. One arm was sleeveless while the other had a long sleeve with a shoulder pad. He had black gloves on. His pants were black, and were hid by a long piece of cloth that reached his ankles. His shoes were also black.

"Oh, Cloud!" Sora addressed him. Cloud looked up to Sora, then he closed his eyes again. "Who's he?" Asuna whispered to Goofy. "He's a friend of ours." Goofy answered. "He gives off the same feeling as papa." Yui stated. Kirito couldn't deny that he felt a lot of similarities between him and this guy. In fact, he was actually liking the look.

"Whatcha doing?" Donald asked. "I'll get him." Cloud muttered, "This time we settle it. Me, and the one who embodies all the darkness in me." "Huh, I thought you looked different, Cloud." Donald stated, with Sora nodding in agreement. "If I do, it's his fault." Cloud told them. "Whose?" Sora asked. "Sephiroth." Cloud answered, "Tell me if you see him."

"What's he look like?" Kirito asked, intrigued by Cloud and this new person. Cloud looked to him, examining him, wondering if he should answer. Finally he said, "Silver hair. Carries a long sword." "Gotcha." Kirito answered, "By the way, I'm Kirito. This is Asuna and Yui." The two girls nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well, be seeing you, Cloud." Sora said, turning away along with the others. "Be careful." Cloud warned the group, "He messes with your head, makes you think darkness is the only way." Kirito turned and smirked at him. "Don't worry." he answered, "As long as I have someone to fight for, I won't be drawn to the darkness. Make sure you have something like that, too." Cloud looked to him, and the two of them just stared at one another, already feeling the close bond they have with one another, even though they just met. The others looked to each of them. _Man, if I follow the belief that their is a double of you in every dimension, then I think I just found Kirito's._ Asuna thought, seeing the two.

"Is something wrong?" a woman's voice asked. The group turned to see Aerith coming walking towards them. Cloud turned and walked away as Aerith followed him. Sora tried to explain, but he was having a hard time doing so. Kirito watched as Cloud turned to Aerith as he approached the steps to down below. "It's nothing." he answered. Aerith leaned in to meet his downward gaze.

"I don't want you involved." Cloud added. Aerith looked closely at his face before leaning up and saying, "You mean, you don't want me there when you go away again?" "I just-" Cloud started, then he caught himself, and said, "Listen, even if I go far away, I'll come back." "Do you mean it?" Aerith asked. Cloud looked away from her gaze as he quietly said, "Yeah."

"See? You don't look so sure." Aerith told him, then she paused before continuing, "Well, okay, I understand. Go-get things settled." Cloud looked a bit confused at this. "No matter how far away you are, once you find your light, I'm sure it will lead you right back here again. Right?" "I suppose." Cloud answered. "So I'll stay here, and I'll cheer for you." Aerith stated, "Okay, Cloud?" "Okay." Cloud answered plainly, and he turned and head down the stairs.

Sora, Kirito and Asuna walked up to Aerith as they saw Cloud depart. "Wonder if he'll be okay." Aerith thought out loud. "He'll be fine." Sora answered. "Yeah, that guy's got a light buried inside him." Kirito said, watching Cloud disappear from view, "He's just gotta take some time finding it. After all, it took a while for me to find mine." Kirito looked to Asuna, who looked to him and smiled, seeing that he was talking about her. "You're right." Aerith agreed.

Aerith led the group down to the borough below. There, they met a bunch of Heartless, including new ones called Bookmasters, which were immune to magic attacks. Aerith parted ways with them as the heroes went to Merlin's house. Inside, Cid was typing away at the keyboard while Yuffie watched him. They turned when they heard them come in.

"Hey, fellas, you're just in time." Cid greeted them. "How's my sister doing?" Kirito asked, walking forward. "You mean Leafa?" Yuffie asked, "She and Recon are doing great!" Kirito sighed in relief. "Got some good news for ya folks." Cid told them, "So get yerselves over to Leon's. Leafa and Recon are with him." "What kind of news?" Asuna asked. "We found the computer Ansem was using!" Yuffie answered excitedly. Kirito, Asuna and Yui all learned about Ansem from Sora during their travels. "Oh boy!" cheered Donald.

"Yep. Should be able to get all kinds of info on the Heartless and the Organization." Cid stated. "And maybe something on the dark realm, too?" added Sora, "It looks like that's where Riku and Kairi are." "And the King." included Donald. "Maybe even some stuff on DiZ and possible ways of getting home." Asuna suggested, Kirito nodded in agreement. They were gonna finish things here, but that didn't mean that they were totally giving up a way to get back home.

"Go see for yourselves!" Cid told them. "It can't hurt!" Yuffie added. "What do you mean?" Sora asked. "Nothin'." Cid answered, "Just get to the computer room through the castle postern. Watch your step!" The heroes nodded in acknowledged. Sora left the two torn pages of Pooh's storybook they gathered so far, and they left Merlin's house, heading towards the castle.

**Chapter 2: To the Computer Room**

They left the house and dashed towards the bailey at full speed. They were dealing with several Heartless along the way, but it was no problem for the team.

As they walked through the bailey, someone asked, "Excuse me, are you with the Restoration Committee?" The team turned, but they didn't see anyone. They looked from side to side, but the one who spoke to them flew into view.

It was a trio of girls that were Yui's size. The head girl had brown hair with a long strand that went down her back, with a light color clothes of blue, white and pink. The second had long blond hair and blue headband, red scarf, and a yellow and orange color-coordinated clothes. The final girl had grey hair, black wings, and black clothing with a red belt around her waist.

Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket, intrigued by the new girls. "What's Leon's gang up to?" asked the blue fairy. "They've got stuff to do over by the castle postern." Sora answered. The blue fairy turned to her friends. "Scoop!" cheered the blond fairy. "Let's report." the black fairy said to them. "To who?" Asuna asked suspiciously. "Our leader, of course!" the blue fairy answered, turning back to them. "Yeah, you know, Male-" started the blond fairy, but the black fairy dived to her, covering her mouth to stop her from saying anything. The heroes looked at them suspiciously.

"Don't mind her." the black fairy told them, "I assure you, we come in peace." The muffled blond fairy nodded. "You're kidding..." sighed the blue fairy. "Problem?" asked the black fairy, throwing the blond fairy aside and glaring at her, "Okay, fine. You do the talking." and with that, she disappeared in a speck of light. The blue fairy turned to the group and bowed deeply. "So sorry about this!" she said apologetically, and she vanished, too. The blond fairy looked to them, waved, and vanished as well.

The team looked to one another, confused and disorientated as to what just happened. "Well, those guys aren't suspicious." Kirito muttered sarcastically. "I wonder who their leader is?" Yui asked. Sora shrugged in response. "We should probably get going." Asuna stated, "We need to get to the castle postern." The team nodded, and they continued onward.

They went out of the bailey, and down the stairs and through the restoration site as they continued to the castle. There were an abundant of Heartless everywhere, including two new kinds; Armored Knights, which were easy to deal with, and Morning Stars, which were the opposite.

"Time I try this power out." Kirito muttered as they were dealing with a troublesome group of Heartless, "_Limit!_" His attire changed to his SAO uniform, and he went into action. He performed his Sonic Leap into a Morning Star, slashing it down into a couple of Shadows. He landed right next to it and went to work while Asuna pulled the guys back. It was as if he was reliving the days in Sword Art Online again. Kirito was slash and tearing up the group of Heartless like nobody's business. The Morning Star got up and started spinning at him, but Kirito dodged it and slashed it from all four sides, performing his Horizontal Square skill. The attack took it out.

"Kirito, switch!" Asuna shouted, and Kirito saw her dashing in, also in Limit Form, ready to take on a couple of Bookmasters that were heading his way. Kirito smiled and leapt back as Asuna charged in. At one Heartless, she performed her Flashing Penetrator skill, piercing right through it and taking it out in one hit. She then turned and performed her specialty; the 8-hit Star Splash attack, jabbing it four times in the front before swerving behind it and hitting four more times, taking it out.

Then the two noticed one last Morning Star coming their way, and they simultaneously charged from both sides. They got close to it, and with one, blinding-speed attack, they crossed-slashed right through it. They skidded to a halt, whipped their Keyblades to one side, and the Heartless vanished. The path was clear.

Sora, Donald and Goofy all stared, open-mouthed as Kirito and Asuna stood there. "Woah!" Donald gasped. "Gawrsh, those two are..." Goofy started. "...Really good." finished Sora. Kirito and Asuna looked to each other. "At least we haven't lost our touch." Asuna stated. "Great to have the feeling back." smirked Kirito, "Now if only I had my Dual Wield skill..." "You're powers will come back in time the more you fight in this form, papa." Yui explained. Kirito nodded, and the two reverted back to normal. They waved to the other three to progress forward, and the team moved on.

They finally made it to the Castle Gate. The group stared all around, seeing if anyone was there. "Leon!" Sora called out. "Sis!" shouted Kirito. "Over here!" Leafa's voice answered. They turned to see Leafa, Recon and Aerith walking up to the group. "I thought I heard my brother's battle cries in the passageway." Leafa said amusingly. Kirito smirked at her.

"You guys found Ansem's computer?" Sora asked. "Uh-huh. The King is very interested in it." Aerith answered. "The King?" echoed Donald, both he and Goofy were surprised. "Yeah, he's with Leon right now." Recon told them. "We get to see the King!" cheered Donald. "Hooray!" whooped Goofy. "Shh, not so loud!" quieted Recon.

As Leafa and Asuna giggled at their friends enjoyment, Sora turned to Aerith and asked, "Is Riku with them?" Aerith shook her head, causing Sora to look down sorrowfully, then he looked up again as he stated, "Well, at least I can ask the King about him. And that computer might be able to tell us something." "Good idea!" Aerith agreed. "Worth a shot." Kirito seconded.

Leafa walked up to them and pointed towards the entrance to the castle. "They're right through there." she told them, and she led the group to the entrance. "So, how's life in Hollow Bastion?" Kirito asked his sister. "Never a dull day." Leafa answered as they walked, "Heartless, Nobodies, and all the company here. I've got a few new spells here thanks to Merlin, too."

Kirito did notice that she had some armor pieces attached to her. He could see a Champion Belt across her waist, along with a Fira Bangle and a Platinum Ring. Recon was equipped with a Fira Bangle too, along with a Divine Bandana around his neck and an Aquamarine Ring. Kirito wondered why they had fire resistance attire until he remembered them speaking about Axel.

"There's plenty of people to get along with here." Leafa told him. "Yeah, apart from the Restoration Committee, there are plenty of new people we just met today." Asuna explained, "So far, we met a guy named Cloud, and three fairy-like girls who said were working for a master."

"Oh, you guys met Cloud?" Leafa asked amusingly, "He's definitely got similarities to you, brother. The black clothing, the lazy tone. And when I decided to spar with him, he had the same anger-induced battle style." Kirito wondered if he should try sparing with Cloud sometime.

"As for those fairies, those are the Gullwings." Leafa continued as they neared the entrance, "Their names are Yuna, Rikku and Paine. They're a nice trio, and we do get along when we meet, but they prefer working for people when they are getting paid." "And their master?" Asuna asked. Leafa shook her head, not sure either.

They went through the entrance and into the corridors. "Careful guys." Recon told them, "This place is a bit of a maze." The team looked around at the place. It looked like it had seen better days.

Just then, they heard some scuttling. While Sora, Donald and Goofy looked behind them, Kirito, Asuna and Yui looked from above, and could've sworn they saw something fast and blue crawl along the ceiling and disappear through the corner. "What was that?" Asuna asked. "Stitch." Leafa said in a irritable way, "A bit of a pest if he's not fighting Heartless."

Leafa and Recon led the team through the winding corridors, dealing with a bunch of Heartless along the way, including new ones called Surveillance Robots. Leafa and Recon's skills have improved quite a bit since their last meeting, what with their swordplay and their magic. Their Aerora spells were just as useful as the Fira spell that Asuna and Sora were trying out. They eventually made it to the door to Ansem's study.

The team looked around, checking the place out. Sora noticed the large picture of a man on the wall. "Ansem..." he gasped, seeing the face. "Gawrsh, I guess this must be his room." Goofy assumed. "You got that right." Leafa told them. "Where's the King?" Donald asked. "Oh, that's easy." Recon answered, "He and Leon are right through..." But he stopped by the sound of footsteps.

"Hey, you!" said a woman's voice. The team turned to see a beautiful woman standing there. She looked tough, with long brown hair. She wore a black tank top which had a zipper, and a white tank top underneath it. She wore a black skort with the back that reached the floor. She was also equipped with black gloves, two black ribbons around her legs, and black and white shoes. Asuna couldn't help but think she might look like a female Kirito what with all the black clothing.

She looked around the room, "I'm looking for somebody." she told them, "Have any of you seen a guy with spiky hair?" The group all looked to Sora, who was pulling his own spiky hair. "Spikier." she giggled. Everyone shook their heads. "I'll just take a look around." the woman stated, and she started looking around the room.

"Sorry, but are you part of the Restoration Committee?" Leafa asked her, "I think I've seen you wandering the streets before." "Nah." she answered, examining the bookshelves, "I'm just here looking for somebody I know is here." She raised her head to look at Leafa. "You're probably wondering who I am." she guessed. "Well, introductions are something you should work on." Leafa answered in a casual tone. "I'm Leafa. And you are?" "Tifa." the woman answered, turning towards the walls and knocking on them, trying to hear something.

Tifa examined all corners of the room, from the table to the shelves and to the walls. Finally, after examining the wall which, to Leafa and Recon's knowledge, held the secret entrance, Tifa stood straight up and delivered a kick to the wall. Kirito and Asuna could tell she was pretty strong as the whole room shook from her kick.

"Sorry to bother you." Tifa waved to them. "No bother, ma'am!" All but Leafa answered, not intending to mess with her. "I hope you find who you're looking for." Leafa told her as she walked passed her. She waved to Leafa as she exited the room back into the corridors, and closed the door behind her. Sora, Donald, Goofy and Recon all sighed in relief. "I wonder who she's looking for?" Asuna asked. Kirito and Yui shrugged, not sure.

"So you made it." Leon's voice came from behind, they turned and saw Leon leaning against the wall Tifa kicked. He stood up and nodded to them. "Had any trouble getting here?" he asked Leafa. "What, you're starting to worry about me a bit?" she retorted, smirking a bit, "It was no problem." Leon grinned a bit at Leafa's tough attitude.

"Isn't the King with you?" Sora asked him. Leon shushed him, then said, "You'll see him soon enough." "Hey!" squawked Donald. "Don't worry, you'll see him." Recon assured him. "Here, this ought to tide you over." Leon said to them, and he turned and pressed a panel on the wall, revealing the hidden entrance. "Ansem's computer room." Leafa explained to them, and she led the crew in.

**Chapter 3: Dive into the Computer?**

Leafa, Leon and Recon led the group to the immense room, where they gasped at all that was there. Then they led them into the computer room, which Sora and Yui dashed to the keyboard first. "This is it!" Sora stated, looking at the screen. "Hmm, something about this room seems a bit off." Yui said, looking to the screen to the technology behind them.

"Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?" Sora asked, tapping away at the computer as the team gathered to him, while Leon stood at the door. Sora was getting frustrated with not getting his answers, and started hammering the Keyboard with his hands. "Easy..." Yui told him, "Don't damage the computer. It's a delicate object." "Oh, sorry." Sora replied, "Guess I got a little carried away."

Suddenly, Goofy gave a yell as he looked up, and everyone looked at the spot he was looking at. A blue, koala-like creature was hanging from the ceiling. It saw that the team saw him, slipped and fell onto the keyboard, surprising everyone. "Stitch!" yelled Leafa, "How many times are you gonna be a pain?!" "Get offa there!" shouted Donald, and he leapt onto the keyboard as Stitch giggled and jumped off.

Leafa and Recon chased him passed Leon as Donald was stomping on the keyboard. He kept pressing buttons as he turned around, and suddenly an alarm went off. Everyone stopped and looked all around. "Attention current user." said a deep voice, "This is a warning. Further misuse of this terminal will result in immediate defensive action." "Who's there?" Sora asked as everyone looked around the room. "I believe that's the computer speaking." Yui answered, diving right onto Kirito's shoulder. "I am the Master Control Program." the voice answered, "I oversee this system."

"Where are you?" Sora asked. "I don't know, and I don't care." Kirito answered, thinking about the Cardinal system back home, "Let's just get going. Donald, whatever you do, don't..." But it was too late. Donald took one more step onto the keyboard. "Donald!" everyone shouted. "I'm sorry..." moaned Donald.

"Decision gate reached. You are now under arrest." the MCP told them. "Arrest?!" Sora and Asuna said in unison. They were wondering what was gonna happen to them as Leon, Leafa and Recon walked to them. Then suddenly, the three noticed the red eye from behind start to power up. "Kirito..." Leafa muttered fearfully, seeing the machine power up. "Run!" Leon shouted to them, but it was too late.

Goofy lifted Donald off the keyboard, and the six heroes looked at the glowing eye as it shot out four lasers at them, hitting Sora, Donald with Goofy, Asuna, and Kirito with Yui. When they were hit, their bodies started to digitize on them. The three people not hit by it gasped as they watched them disappear before their eyes. Finally the eye absorbed their digitized bodies, and they vanished. "KIRITO!" shouted Leafa.

For a while, they were all unconscious as they went through data streams. Finally, Sora, Kirito, Asuna and Yui all woke up, standing on a green platform, surrounded by a cyber world. "Wha-what happened?" Sora asked, looking about. "I'm not sure." Asuna answered, "But I think we might be inside the computer. Your clothes have changed because of it." Sora looked down himself. She was right. His attire became robotic, grey and dark blue with glowing cyan circuitry, and he had a helmet on. His skin became grey too.

Asuna and Kirito on the other hand didn't have as big of a change as Sora. Their uniforms looked pretty much the same, but now the lining was cyan just like Sora's, and their skin was grey, and their hair was added a grayish tint to it. "Why don't we look like Sora, too?" Kirito asked, seeing the minor differences. "It's because you were already data before." Yui answered.

The group turned and gasped. Yui stood there, human-sized, wearing her simple white dress. Her skin wasn't affected by the atmosphere. "Yui, you're back to normal again!" Asuna said, smiling broadly. "I'm able to be this because we are inside this cyberspace." Yui explained, "Unfortunately, not all my programs are functioning at their fullest potential." Asuna dove over and hugged her tightly. "It doesn't matter." Asuna said into her ear, "I'm just glad to hug you like this." Kirito walked over, and wrapped his arms around the two of them. It felt joyous to be reunited in such a way.

"Sora! Kirito! Asuna!" shouted Donald's voice. The four of them turned as they saw Donald and Goofy, now in their own cyber forms, being walked forward by new, machine-like Heartless, with their arms raised. "Yui, can you still turn small?" Kirito whispered as he saw them coming. Yui nodded, and in a flash, she turned to pixie form and flew into his pocket.

"Go on, show 'em who's boss!" Sora told them. "Why aren't you fighting back?" Asuna asked. The trio were about to step forward when someone digitized right next to them. He was a man, or at least a figure of a man, with a grey body with red circuitry around his body. "Who're you?" Kirito asked, suspicious of this new guy. "I am Commander Sark." he answered him.

"A Heartless commander?" Sora asked amusingly. "Observe." Sark told them, and he pointed a finger at Donald and Goofy, and their bodies were being shocked by him, their circuitry flashing yellow and red as they were in pain. "Stop it!" shouted Asuna, seeing his friends paralyzed in pain. "Okay, you're the boss! I get it." Sora said hastily, admitting defeat. Sark stopped his attack, and he smirked at them.

"This program's powerful." Yui whispered to Kirito and Asuna, "Let's just follow him for the time being." Kirito and Asuna nodded in agreement. "Out of one online world and into another." muttered Kirito as he along with everyone else were led somewhere.

They arrived at their prison cell, and the door closed up from behind them. As soon as they had privacy, Yui reverted back to her human form again. Donald and Goofy looked out the window and saw the vast land of data and circuitry. "Man, what kind of world is this, anyway?" grumbled Sora. "This isn't like programs back home, that's for sure." Kirito said, look through the window too.

"You're inside a mainframe computer system." a male voice answered. The group turned to one corner and saw another person with them, sitting back against a terminal. He was like Sark, only a different figure with blue circuitry like the others. "You mean we really ended up inside the computer?" Asuna asked the person. He nodded. "This system is a copy of one created by a corporation called ENCOM. The original program was destroyed."

He stood up and walked to them as he continued, "But this copy was acquired by another User. The new User updated and customized the programs, renaming the system 'Hollow Bastion OS'. He used the system for town maintenance, and to advance his private research."

"I get it." Yui said, "So the defense mechanisms outside were programed by this system. This also includes most other computer-based technology that is used out there as well." She looked at the man in front of her, observing him. "Based on the circuitry and data I am able to establish from you, I take it you are a security program, or rather use to be a security program."

The program looked surprised at how much she new. However, he looked at Yui closely, then realized, "You must be an AI program of some kind. However, I have never seen a program with such high quality data." Yui smiled as she said, "I'm Yui. I'm a Mental Health Counseling Program from a different online gaming world called 'Sword Art Online'."

"My name is Tron." the program greeted him, "And it is as you said, I am a security program. But now I'm under arrest, same as you." "Did you guys get any of that?" Sora asked the others. Donald and Goofy shook their heads, but Kirito and Asuna fully understood. "Gawrsh..." Goofy said, "You know, maybe we should just introduce ourselves."

"I'm Sora." Sora said. "And I'm Donald." Donald squawked. "Nice to meet'cha, Tron. I'm Goofy." Goofy greeted him. "I'm Kirito." Kirito introduced himself. "And I'm Asuna." Asuna added.

"With that configuration, you must be Users." Tron said, looking to each of them, then looking to Kirito and Asuna, "You're bodies seem to be made up of the same high-quality data as Yui. Yet you don't seem to be AI programs like her. How is that?" "To put is simply, in the world we are from, their minds have been digitized into SAO thanks to a special machine called a NerveGear." Yui explained, "However, a special program re-digitized our data, causing us to be sent through a digital wormhole, and come out in a real life form into an alternate dimension." "I see." Tron answered, "So you three are from a completely different program yourself, yet you were made real. Quite a fascinating program." Sora, Donald and Goofy were the only ones who did know what the heck they were talking about, having utter lack of technology understanding.

He then turned to each of the heroes and said, "You better get out of here quickly. Who knows what the MCP will do to you?" "MCP?" echoed Sora. "The Master Control Program." Tron explained. "You mean the thing that brought us all here?" Kirito asked. Tron nodded. "It controls the whole system. If you idle here, you will be de-rezzed." "De-rezzed?!" repeated Donald. "I can tell that it's basically a game over, just like in SAO during those two years." Asuna assumed nervously, "We die here, we die in the real world.

"So, how do we get outta here?!" Sora asked desperately. Tron thought for a second, then walked to the terminal behind him. "This terminal could've gotten you back to the User world." he explained, "But the MCP cut the power 50 microcycles ago." All of them moaned in shame. "If we could bring the energy core in the canyon online, we could power it back up." "That sounds simple enough." Kirito stated.

"The problem is; we're stuck in this cell." Tron said, pointed to the barrier that sealed the door, "We're not going anywhere unless we unlock the energy fields." The team thought for a second as Yui approached the door and touched it. "It looks like we need to freeze the data in order to unlock it." she told them, "But we need to extract some of the data in order to do so."

The team continued to think, then Sora came up with an idea. He produced his Keyblade, and with a few whacks of it's magical powers, he gathered up some cluster of data, and he used it at the keyhole, and he froze the data, removing the barrier.

Sora put away his Keyblade as Tron walked up to him. "Remarkable." he said in an amazed voice, "It seems you have some unique functions." Sora looked a bit smug at this. "Mama and Papa also have the same functions as Sora, too." Yui explained to Tron. "Mama? Papa?" Tron asked. "She means us." Asuna answered as she and Kirito walked up next to Yui. Tron seemed a bit puzzled at this, but after thinking a bit, he guessed that maybe the two were the ones who created her, thus being her 'parents'. He didn't bother asking, though.

"I'll go with you to the canyon." Tron told them, "You'll need someone who can interface with the energy core, right?" "If you say so..." Sora answered, not sure about what Tron was talking about. "I get it." Kirito assured him, "Thanks, Tron. Now let's go." The team all walked out of the cell, and towards a diagonal elevator that led to the canyon above them.

"So what is this place?" Sora asked as they walked around the canyon. "In your terms, this is a junkyard." Tron answered, leading them to a machine in the middle of a room, "This is the energy core. We need to find parts in the junk in order to reboot the core again." "On it!" Kirito answered, "Yui, do you think you can help us find the right part?" "I can try." Yui answered.

The team searched every part of the room, searching through the junk piles. Yui looked at the energy core, and was able to figure out what part was needed in order to fix it. She looked all around the room, seeing everyone looking for the part. She concentrated, and finally was able to figure out what part would do.

"Over here, papa!" Yui said, pointing to one pile off on the side of the room. Kirito rushed over, and Yui pointed out where the part was. Using the power of the Keyblade, Kirito levitated the part up into the air, and placed it into the missing slot. It fit perfectly, and the machine started to light up once again. Then the machine started to spin as it sunk into the ground. Once the top of the machine leveled with the floor, the circuits on the ground started to light up as the power was restored once again.

"Mission accomplished?" Sora asked. "Yes." Yui answered, cupping her hands over her ears, "The power has been restored to the system. The terminal should be functional again." "That's my daughter!" Asuna cheered, hugging her, "You helped us a great bunch." Yui accepted Asuna's embrace with a grin.

"Now...will you do something for me?" Tron asked the group. "You got it!" Sora answered without care. Tron was surprised. "Don't you want to hear what it is first?" he asked him. "You helped us!" acknowledged Donald, "Now it's our turn." Tron looked at the group, still perplexed by their reaction. "You guys really are Users." he said, "Your actions are totally illogical." Sora, Donald, Goofy all looked to one another, amused at Tron's disbelief.

"Yui, do you find what we do at times 'illogical', too?" Kirito asked her. Yui looked up at him, then smiled a bit. "There are many occasions where I find people's actions to be irrational at times." she answered, "But after being with you and mama, along with Sora, Donald and Goofy, I realize that sometimes irrational motives can lead to better results." Kirito found her answer quite true. Asuna smiled, glad that Yui understood them.

"Let's hurry back to the pit cell." Tron told the group. "Roger!" Sora answered, with the others nodding in agreement. As they walked back, Tron came up to Kirito and handed him something. "Here." he said, "I found this in the junk. I don't know what it is, but maybe you can tell." It was another Summon charm, one with an arcade console on it. "That's the Arcade Charm!" chimed Yui, "With it, you can summon someone named 'Ralph' to aid you." "Keep it, Kirito." Asuna told him, "You're the only one who hasn't gotten a charm yet." Kirito decided to keep it, just in case.

They walked back to the cell, where they saw the terminal operational. Tron walked up to it, and started typing away at the keyboard, setting it up to send the team back home. "So what did you want us to do?" Sora asked as he watched Tron. Tron stood up and looked at them. "Find my User." he answered, "He'll give you the password to access the DTD." "You bet!" Donald answered.

"So, uh..." Kirito started, but Tron seemingly knew what he was gonna ask. "DTD is the name my User gave to the dataspace." he explained, "Copies of all the original system programs are stored there, along with anything that's sensitive or restricted." "Is there stuff about the Heartless, or Organization XIII?" Goofy asked. "Hmm...Most likely." Tron answered, turning back to them and working the terminal again, "A number of my functions were appropriated when I last took on the MCP. That's why I need the password."

He stood up again as he continued, "If I can get inside the DTD, I can access my original backup program and restore all my functions. Then, I'll be able to put this system back the way it was before the MCP got control and changed everything. The way it was supposed to be; a free system for you, the Users." "Maybe the DTD could hold other things that Yui can add into her memory bank." Kirito added, "Special programs, possible info on how to get back home, stuff like that." "There's always a chance." Yui agreed, "Already, I'm starting to understand how to connect with this world, so I can probably function things here, too."

Goofy was in thought for a while, then he asked, "Gee, Tron, ain't the MCP one of those programs, too? Do ya know who it was who made it?" "Actually..." Tron started, then he paused before answering, "I don't know." "Okay, we'll just have to find your user and ask him." Sora summed up, "What's his name?"

"You mean you don't know?" Tron asked in a surprised tone, "My User is the user of this system: Ansem the Wise." "Ansem?!" the heroes echoed in shock. They looked to each other, somewhat worried.

Suddenly, the terminal screen started to buzz as it was flicking a bit. Tron turned to it and started typing away. "Looks like the MCP's on to us." he grimaced, "I'll keep this terminal up and running. You better exit the system, now!" "Sure..." Sora answered hesitantly, "But Tron...Ansem is..." "We'll get ya the password!" Donald shouted abruptly. Kirito understood Donald's motives not to tell Tron that Ansem's an enemy.

"Okay. You're good to go." Tron stated, standing up again, "Hurry!" He stepped to one side as the group stepped to the terminal, and they logged out of the system.

**Chapter 4: The King's Arrival**

Back at Ansem's computer, Leon was hurriedly typing away at the computer, with a worried Leafa and Recon at his side. "Come on, Leon!" Leafa begged him, "You gotta find my brother and the others again!" "I'm trying." he answered, "I just don't see how to. The system is locking me out. I can't find a way to get around it." "Kirito..." Leafa muttered, her eyes flickering, about to cry.

Suddenly, the machine behind them started to light up, and a data stream came out of it. The trio at the computer were shocked to see it acting up. They watched it as Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna, and Yui, now a fairy again, rematerialized in front of them. The trio were shocked at first, then Leafa beamed and shouted, "Brother!" as she dove into his arms, tears falling down her cheeks.

"We did it!" cheered Donald. "I was afraid I wouldn't see you again, brother!" sobbed Leafa. "Hey, don't worry." Kirito reassured her, "I'm a lot tougher than I look. Besides, I've spent a good part of my life in a computer. This was nothing."

"Where have you guys been?" Recon asked them. "Well, uh..." Sora started, trying to think of a way to explain what just happened. "We were in a world that was inside this computer, where these programs live..." Yui cut in, and she started to explain what just happened inside the computer, about Tron, the world, all the way up to what he asked them to do.

"So in other words, Ansem's research data is off-limits unless we know the password." Leon summed up after hearing Yui. "That about sums it up." Asuna responded. "But you've already defeated Ansem..." Leon stated to Sora, Donald and Goofy. "Gawrsh, maybe we'll never find the password." said Goofy. "That means, this is all a wild goose chase." Leon moaned. The group all looked in shame at one another.

"You're chasing what, now?" said a voice. The group turned to the door to the room to see Tifa standing there. "Well, well! A hidden room!" she said, seeing the place, "Guess I'd better take another look around." She turned and walked away. Sora and the others looked to one another, then with Leafa and Recon in tow, they followed Tifa out back into Ansem's room again, where they saw her tearing up the place, searching.

"She just won't give up..." Kirito and Sora sighed. "And neither will we!" Donald declared. "Yeah, there's bound to be a hard copy of the password somewhere." Asuna assumed. "C'mon, we've gotta look for that password!" Goofy said to the others. "Let's do it before she destroys this place." Recon added, seeing Tifa searching. "Right. We made a promise to Tron." Sora stated.

The team started to search the bookshelves, the table, everywhere. They searched tirelessly for the password, but to no luck. Finally, the only thing in the room untouched was the large painting of Ansem. The group gathered in front of it, with Tifa out front. "Excuse me." she said, walking up to the portrait. She took one corner and, with surprising strength, lifted the heavy painting with ease, and placing it to one side. _I wonder where she got so much freakin' strength? _Kirito wondered, thinking about Leafa and Asuna if they had this kind of strength too.

When Tifa removed the painting from it's spot, it revealed more writing, drawings, data that Ansem probably wrote down. Tifa looked at all the info, then punched the wall, frustrated that she couldn't find what she was looking for. She turned to them, sighed, and walked out of the room.

The team stepped forward and looked at the data. "What's this doodle?" Sora asked as Yui flew up to look at it more closely. "Hollow...Main..." Donald said carefully, seeing all the faded words, "Security...Tron...Door To..." "Looks like a diagram or somethin'." Goofy guessed. "It's a blueprint analysis on the world inside Ansem's computer." Yui answered. "So this is his description on that world?" Recon asked.

"Door...To...Darkness?" Donald questioned. "Oh!" Sora and Asuna gasped, surprising the others. The two then pointed out the first letters of the name, forming 'DTD'! "We found it!" cheered Leafa, then she shouted, "Hey Leon, get over here!"

Leon came out of the secret door. "What's up?" he asked. "Look at this!" Sora pointed out, "This must be the dataspace!" "It's the DTD. See?" Leafa stated as Leon walked over, "The Door to Darkness!"

"What do you know." Leon muttered, "But...that still leaves the password." "Oh...right." Kirito sighed. Although they knew what the phrase DTD meant, that didn't mean that they knew what the password was. They were still back at square one.

"Say, fellas, did somebody mention the Door to Darkness?" asked a voice from the doorway. The team turned to see King Mickey standing there, still wearing that organization cloak and hood. "Your Majesty!" shouted Sora, Donald and Goofy. Kirito, Asuna and Yui looked surprised. They hadn't seen the king since Twilight Town.

Mickey shushed them, looked behind to check the corridor behind him, and hurriedly closed the door behind him. Just as he removed his hood, Donald pounced on him, giving him a big hug. Goofy grabbed the both of them, squeezing them tight. The SAO crew couldn't help but feel happy at their reunion.

"Long time no see!" Sora stated, eager to see him again. Mickey once again shushed Sora. "The Organization might be listening!" Sora realized and nodded in response. Goofy put Mickey and Donald down, and Mickey shrugged of Donald and looked around, making sure that they were the only ones there.

"You mentioned the Door to Darkness?" he asked them. "Uh, yes sir!" Goofy answered as he and Donald as they stood in authority, "Ya see, we're lookin' for the secret password." "Password?" Mickey said, confused. This caused Sora, Donald and Goofy to sigh at Mickey cluelessness. "Oh, I guess you mean like a code!" Mickey stated. Kirito, Asuna and Leafa looked to one another. This guy really isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Yui, Recon and Leon shook their heads in shame.

"Well, the Door To Darkness can only be opened by the seven princesses." Mickey explained, "There's Snow White, Jasmine, and Belle..." "Of course..." Leon realized, then he walked back to Ansem's computer again. Leafa turned to Kirito, and signaled that she and Recon will follow Leon, and they left for the room, too.

Mickey looked to the trio of SAO characters there. "We haven't met before, have we?" Mickey asked them. "Not since you saved us at Twilight Town." Asuna recalled. "It's nice to meet you, sir." Kirito said, "I'm Kirito. This is Asuna and Yui." "I know." Mickey replied, surprising the two, "I've seen you helping out Sora. I've gotta say, DiZ certainly made the right choice getting your guy's help." "You know DiZ?" Kirito asked, surprised. Mickey nodded, then replied, "But that can wait for later."

Mickey then addressed to the entire team, "What're you tryin' to do?" "With that password, we can get access to Ansem's research data." Yui answered. "So that means you might be able to find out where he is!" Mickey stated excitedly. "Stop jokin' around, Your Majesty." Sora giggled, "We already defeated Ansem. You know that."

Mickey stared at the group, and realized they didn't know some things. "Looks like I've got a lot of explainin' to do." he said to them. "We're listening, Your Majesty!" declared Donald. "Okay...but first, I've got a question..." Sora stated. "Yeah, me too." added Kirito.

"Hey, isn't Tron waiting for you guys?" Leon asked as he stood at the secret door, drawing their attention. "Come on, he's waiting for you." Leafa told them, standing right next to Leon. The heroes looked to them, then to Mickey, then back. "Don't worry, I'm not goin' anywhere." Mickey assured them, "If those Heartless attack, I'll stand and fight with everybody here." "Same goes for us!" cheered Recon as he stepped from between Leafa and Leon, pulling out his dagger and raising it high. "Yeah, we will, too." Sora added, Kirito smirked in agreement as Asuna nodded.

"Then let's talk more later." Mickey told them. "That's a promise!" Donald squawked. "I'll see ya when you get back." Mickey stated, then he remembered, "Oh! One more thing. Let me give your clothes some new powers, you four." He meant Sora, Kirito, Asuna and Leafa. "Really?!" Sora asked excitedly. "You don't mind?" Asuna asked. "You mean I can have a new form too?!" Leafa asked surprised, dashing to Kirito's side. "You bet!" Mickey answered, "You've done so much; just consider these as thank you presents."

Using his powers, he produced four yellow Drive Orbs to the trio. They absorbed them, and suddenly, their clothes lit up and bursted with the new energy. All of their clothing became yellow colored and lined, with black and white crosses as their symbol. Each of them also gained a second Keyblade, too. "These are your Master forms." Mickey explained, "Think of them as a combination of your Valor forms and your Wisdom forms." "A magical and physical form? This will work out quite nicely." Asuna stated, looking at her new attire. "Wow, so I get a powerful form like this!" Leafa gasped, seeing her new look. "You will be able to perform secondary jumps in midair." Yui explained, "The more you use this form, the better the secondary jump."

"And our Keyblades?" Kirito asked, seeing his secondary weapon. Each of them was given a new Keyblade. Yui started to explain that. "Sora's new Keyblade is called 'Violet Leopard'. It is very strong, and enhances his electric attacks." Sora eyed his new Keyblade, which was purple, and looked sharp like forks of lightning, including it's teeth, and had a blue and silver keychain with a purple star with a red eye on the end.

"Leafa, your Keyblade is called the 'Pixie Petal'. It is short, but great for magic, and it can easily land strong hits." Leafa looked at the short Keyblade, which had a flower stem for a shaft, flower bulbs for teeth, and it had leaves and flower like patterns on it, and it had a red feather on the end of it's chain, like her 'Fairy Harp'.

"Mama, your Keyblade is called the 'Brightcrest'. It is long, and it contains strong magic prowess. Just like the 'Pixie Petal', it can land critical hits easier, too." Asuna looked admiringly at her new blade, which looked like cresting waves of clear water with a blue star at the top of the shaft, which also was the emblem on the end of her ivory keychain.

"Papa, yours is the 'Metal Chocobo'. It may decrease your magic slightly, but it makes up for it's powerful physical prowess and reach." Kirito looked at his new Keyblade, which looked simple, a metal shaft and teeth, with three small holes at the end, a red handle, brown guard, and a yellow bird at the end of his keychain.

The quartet of Keyblade wielders reverted back to their normal form and turned to Mickey. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty." Asuna thanked him. "We're heading off to see Tron now, so wait here for us, okay?" Sora asked Mickey. "I will, Sora." Mickey answered, "And remember; be careful!"

"Leafa, can you..." started Kirito, but Leafa put a hand to his face. "You don't need to say anything, brother." she told him, "I know, me and Recon should stay here with Mickey until you come back." She smiled at Kirito, reassuring him that she didn't mind. Kirito was surprised on how well she took it, but felt grateful, never the less.

As Leafa lead the team to the computer room, they saw Stitch crawl on the wall beside them. "What is it, Stitch?" Leafa asked suspiciously as everyone looked to him. Stitch looked to Leafa, and held out something to her. "Hey, that's a Summon Charm!" Goofy stated, seeing it.

Sure enough, it was a charm, with a guitar-like instrument picture on it. "That's the Ukulele Charm." Yui explained, "With it, you can summon Stitch to your side anytime." "I think it wants you to take the charm, Leafa." Kirito assumed, seeing Stitch holding it to Leafa. She was taken aback at this, but took it and looked closely at it. "Gee, I didn't know you cared." Leafa said, grinning at Stitch before he ran away. "Must be for that meal you gave him the other day." Recon said, seeing him round the corner and disappear.

They walked into the computer room, where they saw Leon and Tifa talking to one another. They didn't bother listening, but Recon walked to the keyboard and started typing away. "I figured out how to activate this thing again for you guys." he said, "Now you better come back in one piece, ok?" The team nodded, and with a few pushes of the keyboard, he activated the machine behind them, which turned the heroes into data and sent them in once more.

Leafa and Recon stood there, watching the crew as they disappeared. "Be safe, brother." Leafa muttered. The team would have never expected what was gonna happen next.

**Chapter 5: The Games**

The team once again found themselves in the Pit Cell, and Yui reverted back into her human-sized form. The team looked around as Goofy went back to the terminal. Tron was nowhere to be seen. "Gawrsh, I wonder where Tron is." Goofy thought out loud. "I'm not detecting his signature right now." Yui stated, walking next to Goofy and looking up at the screen.

"Don't do anything reckless, you two." Kirito warned them, "The last thing we need is for the MCP to catch onto us." Suddenly, the screen on the terminal started to fritz again, surprising Goofy and Yui. "Goofy!" shouted Sora. "Yui, w-what did you do?!" Asuna asked. Suddenly, Sora, Donald, Asuna and Kirito were teleported away. Goofy and Yui turned and saw them disappeared. "Mama! Papa!" cried Yui. "I didn't do it!" Goofy defended himself, then the two disappeared as well.

The six heroes were teleported into a large, open room. "I didn't touch nothin'!" Goofy said to them. "No, it was the MCP!" Yui stated, looking around along with the others.

"Welcome to the game grid." Sark's voice echoed out of nowhere, surprising everyone. "Game grid?" echoed Sora. "That's right, you've been chosen to play a few games." Sark's voice explained, "Lose, and you will be subject to immediate de-resolution. Win? Well..." he chuckled before continuing, "...no one wins."

"We're not gonna play your games!" Donald squawked. "You have no choice." Sark retorted. "Well then, get on with it!" Sora declared. "Yui, get into my pocket. Try to find a way out of this place." Kirito whispered. Yui nodded, and she turned into a fairy and dove in. "I hope we can make it through this." Asuna said, somewhat nervous but serious.

Suddenly, three motorcycle-like vehicles appeared in front of them. Sora and Goofy hopped on one, Asuna and Donald hopped on the other, leaving Kirito and Yui to take the last one. "These are your Light Cycles." Sark's voice told them, "You will have to face a variety of opponents while avoiding obstacles."

He left it at that, and they saw a group of data-like Heartless coming at them. "Magnum Loaders!" shouted Yui, and the crew started up their cycles and they took off. The moment they started, walls appeared around them as they raced through the place. This was to keep them from leaving the place.

"Let's get rid of these Heartless!" Sora shouted, and as one got to his side, he flung his Keyblade at it in a Strike Raid, and caused major damage to it until it disappeared. Kirito got two on either side of him, and he popped a wheelie, knocking them against the walls and causing them to fall back. Asuna had one about to attack her, but she figured out a way to put up a barrier around her cycle, blocking it's attack, and knocking the Heartless back. They were easily taking out the Heartless while riding their vehicles.

They got off their cycles just as a new, cannon-like Heartless came out of nowhere, and attempted to shoot the team from a distance. They dodged it, but the blast shot at the wall at the far side, and it cracked opened a hole for them. "All right!" cheered Sora, "It looks like we can escape through there!" "Then let's get moving!" Asuna shouted, getting onto her cycle again. Everyone else did the same and they started them up.

They were charging at the hole in the wall, but the lanes started to block them from going straight forward, and they had to steer away along the path. To add to their troubles, more Magnum Loaders followed them, attempting to attack them.

"How do we get out?!" Donald shouted as Asuna popped a wheelie onto the Heartless. "Yui! Help us!" Kirito shouted, and Yui came out of Kirito's pocket, and reverted to human form, clinging onto him on the back of the bike. "I think I can guide you guys so that you can get to the exit quicker." Yui suggested, "I'll find a way for us to get through this."

As Yui concentrated to find the exit, the team had no choice but to ride their way through the sudden twists and turns in the maze, while dealing with the Heartless. The team saw a fork in the road, only they didn't all go the same way. Sora and Asuna took the right path while Kirito took the left!

"Kirito!" shouted Asuna, seeing Kirito go the wrong way. "I'll catch up with you!" Kirito shouted back, seeing two Heartless close in on him. He attacked them with his Keyblade just as he was dodging a pillar in the road. Sora and Asuna's team were dealing with just as much troubles as Kirito.

After a while, Yui opened her eyes again. "Got it!" she told Kirito. She raised her hand out in front, and concentrated. The lane walls that was blocking Kirito before disintegrated, revealing the open space out in front. Kirito revved his cycle as he charged forward, and he saw Sora and Asuna's cycles from a distance.

"There's the exit!" Goofy pointed out, seeing the hole in the wall. There were still obstacles that were in front of them, and Heartless beside and behind them. They charged their cycles as fast as they could at the hole in the wall. On either side of the wall, more of the new cannon Heartless stood, and they started firing at them. They put their guards up, reflecting the attacks off, causing them to hit the Heartless that pursued them. They charged through the hole, and suddenly, they disappeared off their cycles as they were teleported away.

They came out of teleportation again, back in the Pit Cell again. They sighed in relief, then Sora noticed someone sprawled on the ground near them. "Tron!" shouted Sora, and he along with Yui, Kirito and Asuna charged over as he got up again.

"I don't understand." Tron groaned confusingly, "Why are you here?" "We came to give you the password." Sora answered. "Why didn't you just transmit the data?" Tron asked, rubbing his head. "Transmit?" Donald echoed. Yui suddenly realized that they could've done that. Kirito face-palmed himself, forgetting about that.

Tron was having a hard time standing, and he collapsed onto Sora's shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" Sora asked him. "I'll be all right...once we access the DTD." Tron responded, trying to stand up straight again, "We need to get to the dataspace in order to access the DTD. The red wall is the clue." They understood, and the team raced back to the canyon once again.

When they got there, They had to deal with a ton of Heartless that intruded their path. Yui wasn't battle ready for situations such as this except that she was an immortal object, so she had to step back as the others knocked away all the Heartless, including new ones called Strafer. They eventually made their way to the Dataspace.

The room had a yellow tinge to it as the team saw the massive computer in front of them, and Tron got to it first, accessing it. "All right, what's the password?" Tron asked them. "Well, Snow White, Aurora..." Donald started. "Alice, Cinderella..." Goofy added. "Belle, Jasmine..." Asuna remembered the two. The group turned to Sora, who told the final princess. "Kairi." Sora ended. The name surprised Kirito. Sora's friend was also a Princess of Light?

"Kairi, got it." Tron confirmed, plugging in the last name. The room shook a bit, then the room went from yellow to green as it confirmed the passwords. "That did it!" Tron cheered. Suddenly, there was more buzzing, and a voice sounded. "Now switching DTD over from hibernation to active mode. This process will take some time. Please enjoy a game while the process is running."

"Oh no!" cried Tron. "Not another game!" Sora moaned. "Please let this one be nice and fun for once." pleaded Asuna. "No, it's the DTD's final security routine." Tron explained, "This isn't a game. Stay focused!" Out of nowhere, three large Heartless symbols appeared on the monitors around them, along with a group of Strafer appeared around them.

Yui looked at the place around them, figuring out the situation. "Everyone!" she shouted to them, reverting into her fairy form as she came to Kirito's side, "We need to collect the data clusters from the Heartless. If we gather enough, we can freeze the monitors. But there's a time limit, so hurry!" "Roger!" Sora answered, and the team dispersed, taking out the numerous amount of Heartless.

Sora, Donald and Goofy took one side while Kirito, Asuna and Tron took the other. Yui dove back into Kirito's pocket for protection. The team started to defeat the Heartless left and right, gathering up data clusters. Surprisingly, Sora's side gathered enough first, and they shot a data stream at the Heartless symbol, freezing the monitor at one side. Kirito's team was not to far behind, and Kirito shot a data stream at the other, freezing it. One more monitor to go; the computer monitor.

The team charged in, but Asuna was the first to attack the Heartless. With her combination of jabs and magic skills, she took out the Heartless easily, and used her Keyblade to freeze up the last monitor, ending the so-called 'game'.

The Heartless were all finished, and Tron accessed the computer once more as Yui popped out again into her human form. Tron placed a hand onto the palm-scanner, and a stream of data surged into his body. He removed his hand, and felt all the energy coming back to him again. "I'm as good as new!" Tron said eagerly as he turned to the crew, "All my functions have been restored!" "Oh boy!" cheered Donald. "Congratulations, Tron!" Yui said happily.

Suddenly, the alarm signaled again, and they heard static for a short moment. Then a beam shot out of the sky, blasting back Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito and Asuna away from the computer, Yui and Tron were the only ones who avoided it.

"Finally." came the MCP's voice, "I have full access to the DTD. My takeover of the system is now complete. I might have anticipated such a simple password." "Oh no! We allowed the MCP to gain access to the computer!" Yui moaned, looking all around the room. "What's this?" questioned the MCP, "An emergency destruct program for the town. Let's see how it performs."

"No!" Tron and Yui shouted. They turned to the computer, and Tron placed a palm to the scanner, sending a surge of data into the computer again. He then typed away, with Yui helping beside him. "Programs! You changed the password!" the MCP shouted, his voice still monotonous. Yui sighed in relief. "There, that should buy us some time." Tron told the five others as they stood up again.

"Tron! Yui! Tell us what's going on!" Sora demanded. "The MCP's loading a hostile program into the I/O tower." Tron explained. "If we don't do something quick, it will materialize into Hollow Bastion, and destroy the place!" Yui warned them. "Leafa..." gasped Kirito.

"What do we do?" Donald asked. "We've got to protect the User town." Tron told them, "Let's head to the tower!" they nodded in agreement, and they ran back to get to the I/O tower before the hostile program did.

**Chapter 6: The Hostile Program**

They ran back to the canyon, and towards a new elevator that Tron unlocked for them. They rode it to the I/O tower. They ran through the hallway, and took a right to the communications room, dealing with with several Heartless, including the new cannon ones that tried to stop them before, for which Yui described as Devastators. Their names definitely fit the profile and attack.

They arrived at the I/O communications room, where they saw the surge of data, now blackened, shooting out to the top of the tower. "It must be total chaos outside." Tron guessed. "I think there' gonna be trouble INSIDE, too..." muttered Donald. They looked to where Donald was looking at, and they saw what he meant. A terminal was there, and there was a map, which was scanning a numerous amount of Heartless coming their way.

"Hurry! Let's take them out in the other room!" Kirito declared, and they charged back into the room before. As they were about to head out, Kirito noticed a large treasure chest near them, and he used his Keyblade to open it up, revealing a belt. Yui said it was a Gaia Belt, and it improved defense, thunder and dark resistance. Kirito decided to wear it. Then he joined the other in the other room.

When they came back, they saw something come down from the ceiling above them. A weird machine was coming down, ready to attack. "That's the hostile program!" Yui pointed out. Tron looked somewhat nerve-racked.

"I'm disappointed in you, Program." the MCP's voice called out, "Why do you insist on allying with these selfish Users?" "Because I want to help them." Tron answered, "Something written into my code commands me to do what is right." "Really?" questioned the MCP, "And what command would that be?" "I can't really say for sure." Tron responded.

"Friends and family; They help each other, that's all." Yui answered, stepping next to Tron, "I use to be the same way; I was given programs to feel emotions, but I was still confused on the human lifestyle, and I felt I had no control over my choices. That is, until I met mama and papa." She turned to Kirito and Asuna. "They helped me realize that I have command of my own life, and that I want to do what is right for them, and for everyone else, and for me to choose what path to take." Everyone looked admiringly at Yui. Despite her look of a young child, she acted a lot older than that.

"Uh-oh! Look out!" Sora shouted, seeing the hostile program fire beams at the walls. The beams formed barriers around the room, blocking the path to the hallway and to the communications room. It flew down to their level, and the team prepared to fight it. Yui, although not able to fight, wanted to support her friends and family, so she stayed out. The battle was on as they charged at the program.

Kirito wasted no time entering his SAO Limit Form, and he started to attack at him. He struck the program hard with a Rage Spike, but it didn't flinch. It dropped some data bits as it started to move around the outer edge of the room. It started shooting energy orbs, which zig-zagged around the room, hitting anyone that got to close to one. It struck Kirito and Goofy, but Asuna evasive skills proved to be too much for them, and she started waylaying the program with her combo of magic and jabs.

The program retaliated by attempting to fire a laser machine gun at Asuna, but Sora dove in with a Reflect magic, repelling some of the attack back at the program. It moved away and started circling again, firing more energy orbs at them. "We need to slow it down somehow." Asuna growled as she tried chasing after it.

"I've got an idea!" Yui shouted, and they saw Yui gathering up the data clusters the program was dropping, "I can temporarily freeze it with this data, but you need to act fast everyone." "That's our Yui!" cheered Kirito. Yui gathered enough data and, using whatever skills she had, froze the hostile program. "Now!" shouted Yui. "_Master!_" Sora shouted, and he went into his Master Form, and he delivered a barrage of super powerful attacks. Kirito unleashed his Horizontal Square attack on it. Asuna led Donald into a Blizzard assault. Goofy and Tron threw their shield and disc at it from afar.

The data freeze stopped, and the program started to feel the barrage of attacks, but it still stood strong afterwards. It started shooting a barrage of energy orbs at the team, and due to their homing skills at close range, the team was dispersing all around the room. Sora and Kirito recovered, got close to the program, and dealt a fair amount of damage at it before it started moving away again.

Yui gathered up the loose data clusters as the program got close to Goofy, Asuna and Tron. Goofy did his Tornado skill, damaging it and loosening more data. Yui dashed to the spot and gathered enough data to perform another freeze. She activated it, and Asuna and Tron looked to each other, and decided to use a Limit Break.

Tron called forth several streams of data code around his hands, after which Asuna flung her Keyblade upwards, damaging the program. They stared to call a field of rotating geometric shaped data around them and sending out a wave of data at the program. Finally, Tron called forth a circle of data in front of Asuna, signaling her to slam her hand into a button, creating several data drones which flew around the air rapidly, and they damaged the program brutally.

As they ended, so did the freeze on the program. However, this didn't defeat it. In fact, it started to attack more ferociously. It converted it's arms to the side of his body, and he started rocketing around the room, making it impossible to attack it, and when they tried, they got flung back. It then landed, and started shooting laser beams from it's arms, and he shot them all around the room, hitting anyone who got close.

"This thing is tough!" Asuna cried, ducking under a laser as it kept shooting it's laser beams at a fast pace. Everyone was getting damaged by the program, except for Yui, who was reading the program's patterns faster than anyone else. "Everyone, I need more clusters to freeze it!" Yui shouted, evading it's attacks.

Kirito complied, having already used up his Limit Form. He got to his feet and charged at the program. He got hit by a beam, but he kept pursuing forward until he got right beneath it. He used an uppercut slash onto it, and started to do an aerial assault onto it. Data clusters fell to the floor, and Yui, with Sora in tow, dashed in as he joined the battle with Kirito. Asuna quickly got up onto her feet and dashed to join them.

The trio of Keyblade wielders took turns dealing damage onto it, removing more data from it. Yui gathered plenty enough from their continuous attack. "Okay, I'm ready!" she shouted, and she froze the program again. "Together!" Sora, Kirito and Asuna shouted in unison.

Kirito came in and, using all the new strength he was given by using the Limit form, performed a Sonic Leap in his normal form. He slammed it down to the ground. Asuna came in, and performed a Fira attack up close to it, then unleashing a barrage of jabs before leaping back. Sora finished it off by performing a sword combo, followed by a powerful finisher, which was called Explosion.

The team gathered together and stepped back as the freeze on the program stopped. It started to move again, and it hovered in the air before them. "Aw, come on already!" moaned Sora. "Wait, hold on!" Yui told him, and she eyed the program. It's arms fell to the ground as it started to vibrate. Suddenly, it too fell to the ground, and stayed still. It started to light up brightly, to the point where everyone had to shield their eyes, and it self-destructed, its' scattered data dispersed into thin air. It was defeated.

"You saved us there, Yui." Kirito said as he and Asuna both hugged their daughter. She eagerly smiled, happy to be of some use to them. "Yui, you're the best!" cheered Sora as Donald and Goofy leapt for joy.

Tron wiped his forehead, then looked to Yui. "You know, your standard program wouldn't have let you done that." he told her. "I told you, I choose my way of helping my friends and family." Yui answered, and Kirito lifted her up onto his back, and he carried her back to the communications room once more.

**Chapter 7: Yui's User & the New Passwords**

When they got back, they saw the burst of light that was darkened before now bright again. It seemed like the chaos was over for the time being. Tron walked over to the terminal near them, and started typing away, getting things ready for them. The team all watched him work.

"I really owe you one." he told the team, "With all my functions up and running, I think I've got a chance of getting system control away from the MCP. Now I'd better get to work. It's what my User would want." Sora, Kirito and Asuna looked a bit hesitant at this. They forgotten to tell Tron about Ansem. "What Ansem would want..." muttered Sora.

Yui came up from beside Sora, and grabbed his hand. He looked down to Yui, who nodded that they should tell him. He looked back to Donald and Goofy, who nodded as well. Sora then looked to Asuna, then to Kirito, and finally decided to tell Tron the truth.

"Listen, Tron." Sora started as Tron kept working, "We didn't get the password from Ansem. We just sort of found it, back in the User world. By accident." He took a calming breath before continuing, "And one more thing...Ansem, he was our enemy. I mean, he still is...I guess."

Tron got back to his feet again, not acting surprised nor upset. He seemed sort of neutral at what Sora was telling him. "Well, actually..." Tron replied, "he's my enemy, too." Everyone was surprised at his words. "What do you mean?" Asuna asked him. "Ansem took ENCOM's original system and customized it for his own use." Tron explained, turning to them, "I was part of the original system, and Ansem modified me, too. So that makes him my User." The team nodded in agreement.

"But Ansem is also the one who brought back the MCP." Tron continued, "The Ansem I first knew wouldn't do that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." "That's okay, but now I REALLY don't get it." Sora stated. "I don't... understand it either." Tron agreed, "But I think Users, like you, are going to be the ones who will finally figure it out. The same goes for you, Yui." Yui looked somewhat confused at what he meant. "You have the ability to take illogical routes and still arrive at the answers you seek." Everyone looked to each other, understanding what Tron meant.

"Now go, before the MCP starts acting up again!" Tron told them. They nodded in agreement. As they were getting prepared, Yui walked up to Tron. "Tron, I hope you protect this world, and we'll make sure to come back to help you again." she told him. "Thank you, Yui." Tron answered, "By the way, I was wondering who your User is? And why do you consider Kirito and Asuna your parents?"

Yui thought for a second, then she answered, "A long time ago, I was part of the main system of a game called 'Sword Art Online'. I was part of a program that is much like the MCP, called Cardinal. I was suppose to take care of the psychological mindset of the people inside the system." Everyone was listening to her as she spoke.

"If people's psyche was in danger, I was suppose to come to their aid in order to put them at ease. However, during the opening of SAO, Cardinal banned me not to go to them. Little by little, errors kept adding up into my program as I saw negative feelings from the characters, and I was unable to come to anyone's aid. For a long time, it was like this, until..."

Yui turned to Kirito and Asuna, "I started to see two players who were much different from everyone. There was joy, peace, and something even more. I found a way to get near them, but due to the trauma of watching so much negative emotions, I suffered to what humans would call 'amnesia'. They found me, cared for me, and protected me. I called them mama and papa, and they excepted me as their daughter. In return, they taught me to think for myself, that I couldn't be controlled by the system. I started to show more emotions than what I thought I had in my program. I was happy to be with them."

She turned back to Tron as she continued, "Then one day, when mama and papa were in danger, I started to remember myself again, and I saved them. However, I violated the Cardinal's rules, and I was going to be deleted by it." she paused, thinking back on that, then she smiled, "But papa saved me. He altered my data just in time, turning me into a game item, and storing my program into his NerveGear."

Kirito watched as her daughter paused again before continuing, "After a while, papa found himself in another game, with another Cardinal system that was outdated. His saved data from SAO transferred over, and so did I. He revived me again, and I reunited with him, and eventually mama. So... since papa reprogrammed me in that way, he can also be counted as my User. But I consider him, along with mama, as my family."

Kirito and Asuna walked to her side, and hugged her. Asuna started to show tears in her eyes. She was so glad that Yui cared for them that way. Kirito felt the same way. Sora, Donald and Goofy, who never heard Yui's story, felt happy to hear her explanation and was glad that she was with them. Tron looked at her, puzzled, but he got the answer he needed.

"Yui, we'll always be together, okay?" Kirito promised her, "We care for you a lot." Yui smiled as tears of happiness fell down her cheeks, glad to hear that. "And I care for you a lot, too." Yui answered, removing herself from her parent's grasp, "Mama, papa, Sora, Donald, Goofy. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that we get home safely, and to stop anything from separating us. After all, I'm suppose to make people happy, right?" Sora grinned eagerly. "Just having you with us already makes us happy." Asuna told her.

They had their moment, then Kirito stood up and looked at Tron. "So what about the DTD?" he asked him as Sora walked over, "Can we no longer access it?" "Any data you need from the DTD can be accessed directly through my User's terminal." Tron answered, "I'll keep a dedicated access channel open for you. I changed the password, so you won't have to worry about the MCP for a while."

"Access channel?" questioned Sora. "I'd knew you ask." chuckled Tron, "It's a very important link between our worlds. It's how we stay connected." The team gathered up in front of the terminal in front of Tron. "Here, this might come in handy." Tron told them, and he handed Sora a Keyblade keychain, the token being Tron's Identity Disk. "That's the Photon Debugger." Yui explained, "Like the Violet Leopard, it increases your thunder attacks." Sora decided to keep it.

"So, what's the new password?" Kirito asked as Tron activated the terminal to send them back to the real world. "You, my friends, are the new password." The team looked to each other as they felt themselves going back home. Tron consider them friends. It made them really happy. "Thanks Tron! Take care!" Sora called out. "You too!" Tron replied, "And give my best to the Users!" And with that the team teleported back to the real world.

(_Cue 'Snow Fairy' closing song_)

**I thought it was the best time for Yui to shine, and what a better place that the Space Paranoids. I know, lots of new Keyblades to add to anyones list of who's got what Keyblade.**

**As for Wreck-it Ralph as the summon, don't worry. Yui will be a summon later. She'll be a special summon, and since she was a tear when she was an item, the name 'Tear Charm' would fit. Just because I am a nice guy, I will tell you this; Aincrad will be a world eventually, and that's where Yui will be a summon (Her original program is there after all). It won't happen for a while. Got a few episodes to deal with before we get to Aincrad.**

**For the next episode, it's the war at Hollow Bastion! A fight with an Organization member, teaming up with Final Fantasy characters, along with Leafa and Recon, and tackling the 1000 Heartless army?! Oh man, I got a lot of work to deal with on the next episode. Leave comments, and be patient for the next upload!**


	19. Ep 16: The Heartless Siege! Total War!

**This one came out a little early, but that's because I had loads more free time. This will bring out more truths on the Organization's motives! Enjoy! (Note: Due to the additional two Keyblade wielders at Sora's side, the battle against the 1000 Heartless became 3000. 1000 a piece!)**

**Chapter 1: The Truth Behind Ansem**

Leafa and Recon came back into Ansem's room, panting slightly. For a while, the whole place seemed to be in chaos, and Heartless started to appear like crazy. Now, things calmed down once again. "Wonder what that was all about?" Recon asked exhaustedly. "Something tells me it had to do with the world Sora, Kirito and everyone else are in." Leafa assumed as they walked back into the computer room.

There, they saw Leon there waiting for them. "Any trouble?" he asked. "Nothing we couldn't handle." Leafa told him. Then Recon noticed the computer screen had something on it. "What's that?" Recon asked, looking at the screen. "I think it's something from Tron." Leon answered as the trio looked at it."

Suddenly, the machine behind them activated on its' own, an out came Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy, and Yui as a pixie. The trio all turned to see them appear before them. "Well, that's that!" Sora stated as he walked forward. "I gotta say, that was crazy!" Asuna sighed.

"Hey, I think this is for you guys." Leafa stated, pointing at the computer screen. It was an orange background, and 8-bit forms of Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna and Yui as a human were on the screen, with the words 'thank you!' on the bottom of it. The group couldn't help but smile at this. "Tron...hang in there." Sora murmured. "He's tough. He can do it." Yui assured Sora.

_(Cue Opening Song)_

"So, where do we start?" Leon asked them. "I know! Let's access the DTD!" Sora suggested. Sora moved away from the keyboard as Recon stepped forward, typing away. "You would not believe what kind of chaos was happening here." Leafa told them. "Sorry about that." Asuna apoligized, "The MCP almost gained access to the DTD, had it not for Tron's and Yui's quick thinking." "We just had to take care of a hostile program that could've caused trouble out here." Kirito told her.

"The King's checking the situation in town." Leon told them as Recon typed away, "He'll be back soon, so don't worry." "Uh, guys?" Recon drew their attention, "It looks like it's asking for a password." "That's easy, it's..." Yui started. "Sora!" Sora shouted. "Kirito!" "Asuna!" "Donald!" "Goofy!" "and Yui!" Each of them declared their name. Leon snorted while Leafa smirked in an amused way.

"That's...to the point." Recon muttered, also amused, as he typed in their names. "Well?" Sora asked as Recon finished. The screen popped up with some info. "That did it. We're in." Recon declared. "Yes!" cheered Yui.

"I have to go into town." Leon told them, "Need to see what that last shakeup did." "You're not gonna check out the data?" Sora asked, "It wasn't exactly easy to get!" "I'll come back." Leon assured him.

"Let us go with you." Leafa added, indicating her and Recon, "We're worried about the place, too." She turned to Kirito. "You guys tell us any info you come across, ok? For now, why don't you get started on loading the data and copying it down?" "And who made you boss?" Kirito retorted. Leafa folded her arms under her chest, smirking at him. She started to get a bit more mature since she came here, and a bit more bossy.

"Fine, we'll do it." Kirito sighed. "You three be careful." Asuna told Leafa, Recon and Leon. They nodded in response. Leon patted Sora's shoulder as he left. Leafa followed behind, with Recon in tow. They walked through the hallway, and left their sight. "My sister..." he muttered, but he couldn't help but smile a bit. At least she wasn't worried about getting back home as much. Either that, or she's hiding her feelings.

Sora got to the computer and started typing away, hoping for it to do what he wanted. "Did it work?" Donald asked. "Hey, these things take time, okay!" barked Sora. "Let me..." Kirito moaned, and he and Sora switched places, and Kirito started to work the keyboard. The screen started to show more things. "It's doing something!" Sora gasped. "I think it wants to know what we wanna know." Goofy guessed.

"Riku and Kairi!" Sora declared. Kirito nodded, and he typed away at the computer, asking for them. The screen checked up for the names, but it said no info could be found. "No way..." moaned Sora, "Even Ansem's computer doesn't know..." Yui flew to his shoulder and patted him in a consoling matter as Sora walked away.

"How about DiZ?" Asuna suggested. Kirito typed in his name, but it pulled up nothing. Kirito and Asuna sighed in despair. Still no info on the guy's whereabouts. "How about you ask the computer about them Nobodies?" Goofy suggested. Kirito nodded, and typed away at the computer. Sora came to their side once more as something actually did pop up. "What's this?" Sora asked. "Looks like a report on the Nobodies." Asuna answered, about to read it.

Suddenly, an error appeared before it, then a voice said "The data is corrupt." "What?" Yui gasped, coming close to the screen. "How about the Organization?" Goofy asked. Kirito searched for that, and found something, but once again, the error sign appeared, and again, "The data is corrupt."

"Stupid computer!" growled Sora. "Why is it doing this?" Asuna asked, "Did the MCP do this?" "I doubt it." Kirito answered, typing away at the system, looking through all the info, "It seems like somebody corrupted the data from the outside. They somehow accessed the DTD and downloaded all it's content before us." "But who?" Asuna asked as the computer kept popping up boxes of info on the screen.

Kirito finished typing, looking at all the info given to him, then he frowned. "I think I know." he snarled, seeing the info. He looked to Asuna, who stared at him, then gasped, "Gouxus!" Kirito nodded. "He did this?" Sora asked. "Probably wanted more info on the Organization, along with some of Ansem's research data. He's quite good with computers." Kirito assumed, glaring at the screen, "Damn you, Sugou."

He started typing hastily, trying to find anything at all that wasn't corrupted. _Please, give us something!_ Kirito thought as he gritted his teeth. Suddenly, a profile picture popped up, and a man with blonde hair, a mustache, wearing a lab coat and red scarf appeared. "Who's this guy?" Sora asked. "Dunno." Kirito responded, also confused by this new character.

"Welp, I see ya got things workin'!" said a voice at the door. They turned and saw Mickey standing there. "Oh, Your Majesty!" chimed Sora and Donald. Mickey shushed them, reminding them to keep their voices down. "Good goin'!" he congratulated them, "The computer should tell us the things we need to know." "But it keeps on sayin' the data inside's all ker-skuffled." moaned Goofy. "Corrupted." Asuna corrected Goofy, "And unfortunately, our enemy, and the new Organization member, Gouxus, is to blame for that."

"All we got is a picture of some guy we don't know." Sora stated as Kirito moved aside so the King could see. Mickey jumped in surprise. "Ansem the Wise!" he gasped. Kirito, Asuna and Yui all looked shocked. Sora, Donald and Goofy, however, looked to each other, confused.

"Come on, are you teasing us again?" he asked him. "Did you forget what Ansem looked like, Your Majesty?" Donald asked. "Of course I do!" Mickey answered, "And this is him! I'm positive!" Kirito looked to the profile info on the side of the picture. Sure enough, it did say 'Ansem the Wise' in the name.

Sora wasn't convinced, and he grabbed Mickey's arm, and started dragging him. "Excuse me? Could you come this way, please?" Sora asked as he dragged him. Donald and Goofy walked from behind. "Is that anyway to handle a king?" Kirito asked as he, Asuna and Yui followed from behind.

Sora dragged Mickey all the way back to Ansem's room, and pulled him right to the large picture of Ansem that leaned against the wall. "Look, THIS is Ansem." Sora corrected the king, "You know, the guy we all worked reeeally hard to defeat?" Kirito, Asuna and Yui were all confused. They never met Ansem, and didn't know who to believe.

"Oh, that's right." Mickey remembered, "I never finished explaining. "What?" Donald asked. Mickey cleared his throat, then he said to Sora, Donald and Goofy, "Well, the man in the picture is definitely the one who tried to take over Kingdom Hearts; the one you fellas defeated. But, what you actually fought was his Heartless. Ya see, he wasn't really Ansem. He just went around telling everybody that he was."

There was an awkward pause, the Sora started, "You mean..." then he paused, and the three KH characters all cried in shock. "We went through all that trouble to defeat an impostor?!" Sora asked exasperatedly, slumping in shame. "Yep. A fake." Mickey answered, "But he still had to be stopped." "Aw, I can't believe it..." moaned Donald. "That seems like a downfall for you guys." Kirito stated bluntly, only to get elbowed by Asuna for being rude.

"Uh, I'm kinda confused." Goofy thought out loud, "If he's a fake, then what happened to the real Ansem?" "Welp, that's just what I'm tryin' to figure out." Mickey answered, "Ansem the Wise should know all about the Organization XIII's plans, and what's been happening to the worlds."

"Could that mean he would know about different dimensions?" Kirito hastily asked, "He could know a way for us to get back home?" "Probably." Mickey answered, "I'm pretty sure he'll give us some help. Ya know, I came close to finding him once..." Yui and Goofy both thought about it.

"Don't tell me there's more?" Sora asked in a desperate manner, "I'm lost enough as it is!" Suddenly, Yui and Goofy came to a realization, "Well, let's see." Goofy started, "Some feller named Ansem, who wasn't really Ansem, became a Heartless." "You're point?" Kirito asked. "Well, if a Heartless is created, shouldn't that mean a Nobody was created along with him?" Yui asked. Kirito and Asuna both recalled what Yen Sid told them about the Nobodies, and what Yui and Goofy said were true.

"Yup!" Mickey answered, "And that Nobody is the leader of the Organization." "WHAAAT?!" cried the group, shocked by this news. "I know I've met this fake Ansem before, and I've seen the leader of Organization XIII, too." Mickey continued, "Hmm, kinda felt like bein' around the same fella." "So, where did you meet this guy?" Sora asked the king. "Gosh...I can't remember." Mickey responded, "Ansem the Wise, the real Ansem, must know the impostor's true identity. That's why I've got to find him and ask him about it."

"You...!" Sora snarled, "You started all of this!" "He was the one who brought our dimension into the mix..." growled Kirito, "I'll make sure you pay for this." Asuna patted his shoulder, trying to make sure he didn't go off the deep end. "Because of you, Riku and Kairi..." Sora continued, then he remembered, "Your Majesty, do you know where Riku is?"

Mickey, surprisingly, looked startled at the question, not even looking to Sora. "He's..." he started, then he sighed, "I'm sorry. I can't help." Sora, Kirito and Asuna both looked closely at the back of his head, and they all knew he wasn't telling the full story. "Really, Your Majesty?" Sora asked, walking up in front of him, "Are you sure?" "I'm sorry, Sora." Mickey sighed, turning away from Sora again.

Sora looked at him, wanting to continue, but then changed the subject. "What about Kairi?" he asked him, "From what Leafa said, Organization XIII might've kidnapped her." Mickey looked to Sora in surprise. "Oh, no!" he gasped, then he looked to the fake Ansem's picture, and continued, "Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna, Yui. I was plannin' to go get help from Ansem the Wise. But, now I know I forgot the most important thing. Helping others should always come before asking others for help. We're safe and sound, and free to choose! So there's no reason we shouldn't choose to help our friends." Everyone nodded in agreement. Kirito thought he should keep that as a mental note, cause he kept forgetting that from time to time.

"Let's look for Riku and Kairi together." Mickey declared. "Yeah, and while were at it, let's also help you out in finding Ansem the Wise, along with finding DiZ." Asuna stated, "Surely we can help you out just like you're helping us out. And besides, one of them would know the way back home." "Then it's decided." Mickey summed up, "Let's work together to find the people we are looking for!"

Not a second passed after saying this did they soon hear a loud explosion, and the room shook like crazy. Something was happening outside. "Sounds like we gotta start by helpin' out here!" Mickey stated.

**Chapter 2: The Start of the War**

Leafa and Recon were at the bailey, looking out as they saw the horde of Heartless start coming in. "What the hell are they doing?" Leafa asked, ready to fight. Recon looked to where the Heartless were grouping up, and they saw a bunch of Minute Bombs stacking up against the wall near them. "Oh, no!" he gasped as he and Leafa came to the realization, "Run!"

The two dashed out of the bailey towards the construction sight just as the wall exploded. They were sent hurdling forward as parts of the wall flew everywhere. The fell to the ground hard, but luckily they weren't hurt badly. They moaned as they stood up, and turned to see the group of Heartless start to walk towards them, and there was a large amount of them.

"W-w-what do we do?!" Recon asked as they got up. "Fend them off." Leafa answered, whipping her Keyblade out. "We can't let them get to the castle. Let's make our stand here until help arrives." Recon looked scared, but he pulled his weapon out, and the two were prepared for a fight.

Meanwhile, Mickey had dashed on ahead, and Sora, Kirito and the others were just starting to rush through the corridors, ready to take on whatever that explosion was. They ran into the large area of the corridors, and saw a swarm of Nobodies and Heartless there, fighting each other. At one end of the room, Maleficent stood there, apparently commanding the Heartless. The moment she saw them, she disappeared into dark green flames.

"Heartless!" Maleficent's voice echoed, "Leave the white ones. Turn your attention to Sora and his friends!" "Uh oh!" moaned Goofy as the Heartless and Nobodies all walked toward them. "And here I thought we would we be friends." Kirito sighed as the team drew their weapons.

The team had to deal with Armored Knights and Dusks in the first load, and they weren't that difficult to defeat. However, a new Heartless and a new Nobody showed up to the fray, and they were a bit different. The Nobody was called a Dancer, and it was thanks to Asuna's accuracy and speed that they took it out. The Heartless was called a Crimson Jazz, and it was quite the difficult opponent to deal with what with all the fireballs it produced. Thankfully, Sora and Kirito's combined effort took it out.

When they cleared the area, they saw the Gullwings flying down the steps of the corridor towards them. "Where's Maleficent?" Yuna asked. "Looks like she ran away." Sora answered. "Well that was PRET-ty lame of her." Rikku scoffed. "I guess we picked the wrong side." sighed Paine.

The trio of fairies turned to each other and started bad-mouthing Maleficent. Kirito figured that their 'leader' that they talked about was Maleficent. "They don't seem to be bad people, just misguided." Yui whispered, "They were nice to Leafa, anyway." "Well, what should we do about them?" Asuna quietly asked the group. They thought for a second as the Gullwings continued to whisper, then Sora thought of something.

"Umm, hey..." Sora called out, "if you're looking to pick sides, why don't you pick Leon's and Leafa's? They can always use help?" The Gullwings turned to them. "Oh, we know Leafa." Yuna told them, "Does she or this Leon have any treasure?" Kirito was about to say no, but Donald proclaimed, "Yeah, lots of stuff!" Kirito looked shocked and terrified at what Donald just said. If Leafa had treasure, she would've told him.

"Perfect!" cheered Rikku. "Come on." said Paine. "Just who are you?" Sora asked them. "Oh, we're nothing worth mentioning." Yuna answered Sora. "Just three treasure fanatics." Paine explained. "Later, taters!" Rikku waved, and in a sparkling of lights, they disappeared.

"Did Leon or Leafa...really have any treasure?" Sora asked Donald. Donald only giggled menacingly, and raced off. Kirito and Asuna looked to each other, and Kirito covered his face with his hand. "Leafa's gonna kill me after this." Kirito moaned. He sighed and led the team to catch up with Donald as they headed outside.

The moment they stepped outside, they were immediately greeted by three dusks. The heroes whipped their weapon's out. "We don't have time for you!" barked Sora. He, Donald and Goofy knocked all three of them down in one hit, and they charged ahead of the group up to the upper level.

As soon as they got there, there was a burst of white light, which blinded all of them. It shined for a few second, then it disappeared. The team uncovered their eyes to see a man standing there. He had long silver hair, a dark red battle garment with cross-straps around his chest, armored shoulders, gloves, and armored boots. What was even more freaky about him was he had a black and blue wing on one side, with two tails underneath. His appearance made him looked like a fallen angel of some kind.

"Sora, it's Sephiroth!" Donald squawked. Kirito realized that when he remembered Cloud's description on the guy. Sephiroth even pulled out an extremely long blade that looked way longer than his height. "So that's Sephiroth?" Asuna asked, glaring at his appearance, "The one that's suppose to be dark part of Cloud's heart?"

"Hmph, did Cloud tell you that?" Sephiroth said amusingly, "Then he must understand now." He looked to Kirito, who readied his Keyblade in case he needed to fight him. He could easily see the resemblance between him and Cloud, though this boy's heart was a bit too bright for his taste.

"Just what are you gonna do to Cloud?" Kirito asked, not phased by his gaze at him. "Nothing." Sephiroth answered, "Cloud is the one who hungers for Darkness." "He said he's got a score to settle with you." Sora mentioned. "I see..." responded Sephiroth, turning and walking away, "He wants to meet me again. Then I should gibe him what he wants. That last bit of light is always the hardest to snuff out." He floated himself into the air as the team ran up to him, and he disappeared in a black orb, much different to the Organization's way of traveling.

"I hope Cloud beats his ass." Kirito snarled as he lowered his Keyblade. "Don't worry. He's really tough." Sora assured him. "Come on, you guys." Asuna told them, running to the construction sight, "We need to help everyone out here!" The group nodded, and they raced into the construction site.

They raced into through the high walls, and saw Leon, Leafa, Yuffie, Recon and Aerith fighting, trying to fend off the crowd of Heartless and Nobodies. "Leafa! Everyone! Are you alright?!" Kirito called out as the team readied for combat. "We'll help you out!" Sora declared.

Recon was busy defending Aerith from a Heartless, then the two turned and saw something. "Look out!" they shouted in unison. Sora, Kirito and the crew all turned to see more Dancer Nobodies appear from behind. They immediately went into action against these things.

It was tough for Asuna before to deal with one Dancer in the corridors, now there were a bunch more at once. They struggled against the Nobodies, and even had to deal with a few Creepers as well. The Dancer's fighting style was slipping them up, and they kept getting knocked back. It took Kirito's Magnet spell to actually hold them down for a while. Never the less, they managed to take them out after several minutes.

They finished fighting to see all but Leafa and Leon standing there, done with their group of enemies. "The King's in the bailey." Leon shouted, "You better head over there!" "Got it!" Sora called back. "We'll go on ahead!" Leafa shouted, "You catch up with us!" And with that, Leafa and Leon both took off. The team didn't waste time, and dashed to the bailey as well.

It took a while, but they made it there, only to see that the bailey walls had been blasted apart. Now they knew what the explosion was. They walked to where the wall was at, and looked on ahead. Sora, Kirito and Asuna all gasped in horror. A horde of Heartless was coming their way, and they were talking hundreds, maybe thousands of Heartless. They shook the ground as they marched towards Hollow Bastion.

In the middle of the fight, Leafa and Recon stood there, circled by hundreds of Heartless. "This isn't good." muttered Recon, nervous as he looked all around them. "Keep your chin up." Leafa told him, "You can do it. Remember, we trained hard for stuff like this!" Recon looked to Leafa, and saw the confidence on her face, but the nervousness in her eyes. Recon then put on a brave face, and nodded in response. The two charged at both sides as Leafa went into Master form while Recon unleashed a special technique he worked out from ALO; the Wind Blade skill, where his dagger elongated itself into a green energy sword. The two went into action, knocking the Heartless back.

The duo cleared a way through, and they charged towards the cliffside, where they saw Cloud standing there, surrounded by Heartless. They were just about to come to his aid when they saw several of them slashed in one hit. Leafa, Recon and Cloud all looked to see a man standing there, holding a really long sword. "Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled as the Heartless ran in fear. Leafa heard Cloud mention the man's name before, and knew he was dangerous. She could easily tell this was someone that she and Recon couldn't beat.

Sephiroth walked forward and pointed his long sword at Cloud, who readied himself. "I understand that you've been looking for me." Sephiroth stated calmly. "Yeah." Cloud answered, "Once I get rid of you, the darkness will go away." "Can you do it?" Sephiroth question him, "That darkness comes from your own dark memories. Do you think you can erase your past?" "Shut up!" snapped Cloud.

"Face it, you turn your back on the present and live in the past." Sephiroth said to him, "Because the light of the present is too much!" "You don't know me!" Cloud growled, getting angrier at his words. Leafa and Recon just stood and watched this scene happen. They wanted to help, but they didn't see anyway they could.

"Cloud!" shouted a familiar voice. It was Tifa's voice. Cloud turned to where the voice came from, and it looked like he was blinded by a light of something. "I know." Sephiroth told him, "Because...I am you." And with that, Sephiroth disappeared in a black light. Cloud looked around to see where he went, and he charged pass Leafa and Recon as Tifa rounded the corner.

"Cloud! Wait!" she shouted, but she was surrounded by a group of Heartless. Leafa and Recon knew they could help here, and they slashed their way to Tifa as she started punching and kicking them. "I guess we now know who you've been looking for." Leafa stated as she, Tifa and Recon stood back to back as the swarm of Heartless surrounded them. The trio looked to each other, and resumed the fight.

Back at the bailey, Sora, Kirito and the team stood there, watching the battles that went throughout the distance. "Leon, Leafa, everybody, hang in there!" Sora stated. "Leafa's tough." Kirito assured him, "So's Leon, Recon and everybody. That's not to say we shouldn't help them." Asuna got to the other side of Sora. The trio looked to each other, nodded, and charged ahead to the battle.

Just as they were about to, however, Mickey came flying out of nowhere, landing in front of them with his back to them, and he raised his hands to his sides. "Okay, fellas, you've gotta go find Riku, Kairi and DiZ!" Mickey ordered them. "But Leon and the others are friends too!" Sora retorted. "Yeah, everybody down there needs our help!" added Kirito. "Don't worry." Mickey assured them, "There's already lotsa help here. We'll take care of this fight." "But...I promised Leon and Leafa!" Sora moaned. "So did we." Kirito muttered, indicating him and Asuna. Asuna was a bit conflicted on whether she should go or trust the King's words. Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket and looked up at them, worried.

"Donald! Goofy!" Mickey addressed the two, "Take Sora, Kirito and Asuna and get goin'!" Donald and Goofy looked to each other, slightly worried. "Riku, Kairi...give me a little more time, okay?" Sora muttered out loud.

Kirito looked to Sora, then looked to Asuna, and suddenly grinned, despite the situation. "Asuna." Kirito muttered to her, "Since we are from a different dimension, should that mean we have to listen to the King's orders?" Asuna blinked, then smirked as she finally got the picture. "Usually we should." she answered, "But that doesn't mean we have to follow through with it." Yui looked to his mama and papa, and understood what they were gonna do. The three SAO characters waited for the other three's response.

Donald and Goofy looked each other, conflicted a bit, then they looked serious, and nodded to one another. "You're Majesty!" shouted Donald. "We understand." Goofy told him, "We'll go search for Riku and Kairi!" Sora turned to them, startled at his friend's words. "Right. Watch for danger!" Mickey warned them. "You be careful, too!" Donald answered. "Wait, you guys!" Sora told them, looking to Donald and Goofy, then to Mickey.

"Sora, do as you're told!" Donald squawked at him. "You're comin' with us whether ya want to or not!" Goofy proclaimed. "C'mon, Sora! Ya gotta be good!" Donald added, winking at Sora. Sora realized what his friends were gonna do, and grinned. "Gotcha." he understood.

"You ready to leave?" Kirito asked, joining in the group's charade. Sora looked to him, and nodded. "Well then, skedaddle!" Goofy told them. "Let's get out of here!" cheered Yui. "The sooner, the better." Asuna stated, not holding back her smile. The team turned to where the King stood, and charged right past him, surprising him, leaping down to the floor below. They turned back to see Mickey stare at them, startled.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty!" Sora apologized, saluting him. "We'll make it up to you some time!" Asuna shouted. "Sorry about this, but I have a knack of following my instincts." Kirito said as Yui waved to the King. Donald moaned in a regretful way as he saluted. "Hope you can forgive us!" said Goofy, also saluting. The heroes jumped into the battle, aiming to save their friends. Mickey could only watch them go, rolling his eyes and smiling.

**Chapter 3: Demyx, the Melodious Nocturne**

The team charged through the scarred battlegrounds as they made their way to their friends. They ran down some stone steps to a floor that looked like it was made of tiles. They saw a black portal in front of them, and stopped in their tracks. Out of the black portal, Demyx appeared. He noticed the team, and looked ready to fight for a second, then decided to avoid that.

"Hey, you guys are looking lively." he said in unusually cheerful tone. "Not you again." moaned Asuna. "Scram!" squawked Donald. "Didn't we catch you messing around in the Underworld?" Sora asked. "Tell me, how's that injury I placed on you back then?" Kirito mocked him, "I wonder how someone like you got into Organization XIII?"

Demyx acted all offended by this storm of statements, but it was poor acting. "I bet you can't even fight." Sora sassed him. "Yeah, but we can!" Donald added. "You shouldn't judge anyone by appearance." Demyx warned them, his tone changed. The team whipped out their weapons, ready to fight him. Demyx had his arms out at the ready, then he turned his back to them, moaning, "I told them they were sending the wrong guy..."

"Who is this kook?" questioned Sora. "Whoever he is, he's pretty much a pushover." Asuna answered. "Remember, the Organization's made up of Nobodies." Goofy reminded them. "Right. None of them have hearts." Kirito recalled, thinking of Gouxus, and getting angrier.

At these words, Demyx turned back to them again. "Oh, we do too have hearts! Don't be mad..." he stated. "You can't trick us!" Donald squawked. Kirito nodded in agreement, though he believed that since Donald tricked the Gullwings, he shouldn't talk of such things. Demyx turned his back to them, thinking on what to say, then he turned with a serious face and snarled, "Silence, traitor." pointing a finger at Sora. Sora looked confused at this.

Suddenly, a dome of water gushed all around Demyx as he lifted his hand up, until a bubble of water appeared, and out came his sitar. He grabbed it, and now he looked like he was gonna battle them. He then started playing his sitar, and his water replicas started appearing all around them. "Let's take them out, quickly!" Kirito shouted, and the team went to work, waylaying them as they kept coming at them. They remembered that if they didn't take them out in a certain amount of time, it would be bad news.

With a combination of using Wild Dance and Fira spells, they managed to take them out before time was up. Knocking them out seem to wear Demyx down, and Kirito went in first, using his Valor Form, and started slashing like crazy. It was at this point that the team realized something; Demyx was no pushover. In fact, he was the once pushing everyone else over. He was able to dash in the air, leaving a geyser trail behind, which knocked Kirito back. Whenever he played his sitar, multiple options happened; geysers appeared all around him, knocking anyone near him back, a couple of water replicas came to protect him, or large bubbles that either fell from the sky or were shot straight at them.

"We underestimated him." Asuna moaned as she and Sora got up from a geyser attack. "Yeah, he's a lot tougher than he acts." Sora agreed. Kirito, Donald and Goofy were having just as much trouble. "Though I did notice that fire does seem to affect him more than other elements." Asuna pointed out. **(Author: I looked this up, and believe me, that's Demyx's weakness. Why not thunder? Dunno.)** "Then let's hit him with fire!" Sora declared. Asuna got into Wisdom Form and Sora got into Limit form, and the two charged in.

Meanwhile, Kirito was having a hard time getting in close to Demyx. He started shooting bubbles at Kirito, for which he countered by slicing them down in a fury. "This guy just won't quit!" he said to himself, charging ahead. He felt the presence of another geyser coming from beneath him, and he sidestepped only to stand on another one. He was flung into the air, grimacing in pain as he did so. He felt he wasn't able to take one more hit from this guy.

_"Heal!"_ shouted Donald, and Kirito felt his injuries go away. He landed onto his feet, and he saw Donald and Goofy get up beside him. "Thanks, Donald." Kirito thanked the cartoon duck. "No problem!" Donald answered. Kirito turned to see Asuna charge in with her Wisdom Form, peppering Demyx with Fira magic. Just as she dashed away, Sora came in with a Strike Raid, followed by a Sonic Blade attack. Kirito smirked as he saw his friends attack him, and leapt in to perform his combination of powerful attacks in his Valor Form.

The five heroes kept battling it out with Demyx, who just kept proving himself to be a tough opponent. It was clear that dodging or blocking everyone of his attacks was impossible for them, so they had to rely on potions and Cure spells to heal up in times of need. They still kept going in at him, delivering damage when needed.

Demyx started to notice he wasn't doing as well as he thought, so he started undergoing another time limit attack of water replicas. There were fewer now, but less time to boot. Asuna quickly ended it by using the Wild Dance again, drawing all of the replicas in and knocking them out. This wore Demyx out, and Sora and Kirito unleashed a double combo onto him.

Demyx retaliated by walking around, playing his sitar which caused a wall of geysers to shoot out with every other step he took. Kirito and Sora had no choice but to run away from the attack, for not only was it devastating, but wide enough to cover the length of the battlefield they were on.

Thankfully, Asuna, Donald and Goofy were right behind Demyx. Donald and Goofy came in with a double attack, and Asuna started shooting magic shots at Demyx's back. She unleashed a rapid fire assault, staggering his attack until her limit form ran down, and she reverted back to normal.

"Ouch! That's hurts, girl!" Demyx cried, and he sent a volley of geyser pillars at the trio from behind him. "Come on, ain't it a blast?" he asked, playing his sitar just for the heck of it. Then Kirito stepped back to back on him, muttered, "Don't count on it." and with that he made a retaliating swing onto him, sending him flying. He then turned around and unleashed his combo attack into the air at him until he reverted back to normal form again.

Demyx was not really pissed that he was getting slaughtered like this, and he made a Water Dash to one side, sending Kirito flying back to Asuna. He landed onto his feet and yelled. "Time to get to the beat!" He came hurdling at Kirito, Asuna, Donald and Goofy, who weren't expecting him to be so swift, and he attempted to smack Kirito with his sitar. Kirito managed to block his attack, but he didn't expect water pillars to be gushing around them, knocking them into the air. Demyx finished his combo with a large amount of geysers, sending all four of them flying in pain, falling to the ground, unable to get up.

"Hey!" Sora shouted, drawing Demyx's attention, "How dare you hurt my friends like that. I'll make sure you pay!" He made a full dash at Demyx, who shot a volley of water bubbles at Sora. He dodge-rolled them, and made a fury of attacks at Demyx, unleashing his Sonic Blade again, and finally going into a Ragnarok. He severely damaged Demyx, who send a geyser pillar at Sora, knocking him away, but Sora recovered and landed on his feet.

It was clear that the two had little stamina left, and that their final attack would finish the other off. They glared at each other for a second, then Demyx played his sitar, and a line of water geysers were sent at Sora's position. At the last second, Sora sidestepped the pillars just in time, and charged at Demyx with the pillars of water still chasing after him. "Wait, stop!" Demyx shouted, scared of what was gonna happen, but Sora leapt over him, and he was hit by his own geyser.

Sora turned to see Demyx fall, and he dashed at him, his eyes glinting as he unleashed his ground combo. Demyx got to his feet, but was unable to move as Sora paused. "You're finished!" Sora declared, and he unleashed his most devastating finisher; Zantetsuken. With one piercing slash, he cut across Demyx as he passed him in a blinding speed.

There was a pause, then Demyx collapsed to his knees, his sitar in one hand. It disappeared into water as he tried standing up, and he noticed his power draining away. "No...no way!" he shouted as he lifted his head up. His body started deteriorating as he collapsed to his knees again, his head hung down. Suddenly, his body started to become water, there was a bright light, and suddenly, he vanished.

In his place, three magic orbs floated there, going towards Sora, and Kirito and Asuna, who were getting to their feet after witnessing Demyx's defeat. "These are the Blizzard Elements." Yui explained, "Your Blizzard has been upgraded to Blizzara." The trio took it without saying anything.

"Anyone from the Organization who'd like to be next?" shouted Sora. "Easy Sora." Kirito said as he and the others walked up to him, "We shouldn't antagonize them. Keep a cool head." "Oh! Like you're one to talk!" exclaimed Asuna in disbelief. "Besides, we gotta go help our friends out first." Goofy stated.

"Oh, sorry." Sora apologized. Kirito waved it off. He then thought that how he finished that Organization member was pretty awesome. _At least that's one member down._ He thought as they stood in the place where they claimed victory at.

**Chapter 4: A Friend's Death?**

"Then let's go!" Donald declared. "Yeah, we need to make up some time here." Asuna stated, using her Cure magic to heal Sora. "Let's get moving!" cheered Yui. The team nodded to each other, and turned towards where the battlefield was at.

They took one step when a familiar voice shouted, "Aha! There you are!" They hesitantly turned to see Mickey standing there, a stern look on his face. He walked up to them, and crossed his arms as he glared at them. The team looked a little hesitant, unable to explain themselves.

Mickey's face softened, and he sighed deeply. "You sure have lotsa friends to help." Mickey stated, causing everyone to looked relieved at his change of attitude, "So, I guess we better all pull together and finish this battle for good!" "Yes, Your Majesty!" the team shouted. _Well, at least that was one problem solved? _Kirito thought.

The team, along with Mickey, had just begun walking to the battle when there was an explosion from above. Goofy turned and saw a large boulder hurdling down toward the King. "Look out!" he shouted, pushing Mickey aside just as the boulder came down and hit Goofy's head. He was sent hurdling backwards into the wall, where he laid on his back, still.

"Goofy!" cried Sora as he, Kirito and the others dashed to his side. Yui made it there first, and she looked at his face. "Oh, no! He isn't waking up!" she gasped as the others came to Goofy's still body. "No..." Mickey gasped softly. "This can't be happening." Asuna said through her hands, her eyes watering in horror.

"Hey! You're the King's Captain! You gotta get up!" Donald squawked, shaking Goofy's body. "C'mon, wake up!" Sora shouted. "Goofy! Open your eyes!" Kirito cried, his face full of shock. "I'm sorry about the ice cream!" Donald tried to apologized. No response. Goofy was as still as can be.

"Goofy...?" Mickey called softly. Asuna's face was drenched in tears as she begun crying. "Ooh...Goofy." moaned Donald, laying his head onto Goofy's body. "This can't be happening." Sora muttered, "It can't be happening...It can't..." Yui's eyes started to water as well as she stared at Goofy. Kirito looked horrorstruck. He hadn't seen anyone die since the two years in SAO. He didn't want to see this happen again to someone he considered a great friend. This rushing feeling of dread was too much.

Kirito's face went from horror, to absolute fury. He stood back up to his feet again. his fist clenched. "Damn you, Heartless!" whispered Kirito, his voice increasing in volume, "Damn you, Nobodies! How dare you kill a great friend! YOU ARE ALL GONNA PAY!" He whipped out his Keyblade and charged headlong into the battle field. "They'll pay for this." Mickey growled, and he removed his cloak to reveal his red uniform. He whipped out his Keyblade, and followed Kirito into battle.

Asuna wiped away the tear, and looked angrily at where the Heartless were at. "I will destroy them all." Asuna hissed, whipping her Keyblade out, too, "I won't let any more of my friends die!" she charged in as well, as Donald squawked in fury as he joined in, too. Sora stood up, looked to where his friends were going, then looked to Goofy, curled his fists, and took off to join them. Yui was unable to move, looking at Goofy's face as they were left all alone.

The fury of their friend's death certainly was displayed in battle. The Heartless swarmed all of the people they knew, and each of them dispersed help each of them. Sora helped Yuffie out with one group. Sora's fury sent the horde of Heartless flying into the air as Yuffie's ninja skills and shuriken attacks were strong enough to mow down the swarm.

Mickey and Leon partnered up, and Mickey's display of Keyblade skills were one to be recon with. Leon's magic infused Gunblade was incredibly devastating to the swarm, and he was unmatched by the Heartless that attacked them.

Donald was with Leafa and Leon. While the two were confused as to why Donald was in such a rage, they did not stop to think about it. The fact that his rage was taking down the Heartless like crazy was alright in their book. Recon's magic and swift skills with his Wind Blade took out the Heartless just as much. Leafa, who already used of the Master Form's power, was now fighting strongly with magic and offense, and her skills were quite strong against the Heartless horde.

Asuna was with Tifa, and they were extremely devastating together. Asuna's combo of complete anger against the loss of one of her friends plus her already swift skills were incredibly powerful. Tifa's martial art skills were incredibly tough too. She was able to produce a powerful aurablast-like move at the Heartless close to her.

Kirito and Cloud were the last group to team up together. It was definite proof that the two's fighting style was a lot alike, especially now since Kirito was in an absolute rage. He swung madly at the horde with his Oblivion, which was just as devastating as Cloud's Buster Sword. The two's anger-induced fighting style proved to be really incredible as they took out all the Heartless in thirty seconds before Kirito progressed on.

Kirito managed to get to a chasm with crystals all around, but he was breathing heavily. He heard an outcry, and saw Asuna, Donald and Mickey racing towards him. They stood to catch their breath, and Sora the last person to arrive to the group. He was absolutely exhausted.

"Are you all okay?" Mickey asked them. "I wish I could say yes." Kirito answered, looking down in sorrow. "I'm fine, but..." Sora muttered, then he went silent as he looked down in shame. Asuna was unable to speak, for she was about to cry again. "Ooh, Goofy..." moaned Donald as he and Mickey looked down in sorrow as well. For a while they didn't hear anything except Asuna's sniffles. Then suddenly...

"Hey, fellas!" shouted a voice. It was way too familiar. They looked up and turned to where they came in. There, sure enough, was Goofy, leaping up and down and waving to them. Yui was right next to him, hanging to his hat. "Goofy!" shouted the crew, absolutely ecstatic that he was alive.

Goofy rushed over to them as Yui flew over to Kirito and Asuna. "Ya know, that really hurt!" Goofy said, rubbing his head on the spot that the rock hit him. "Aw, Goofy." Mickey sighed, hugging his best friend. "Gawrsh, Yer Majesty, I get bumped on the head all the time." Sora laughed in amusement.

"I noticed that, too!" Yui explained, "I checked his breathing, and he was alive. All I did was sprinkle some water I got from Demyx's battle." "Aw, Yui, thank goodness!" Asuna cried, grabbing the fairy and pulling into a hug. "Mama, I can't breathe!" cried a muffled Yui, and Asuna realized what she was doing and let go of her. Kirito laughed in relief that Goofy was alright.

Donald on the other hand, looked angrily at Goofy as he brandished his staff. He waddled over to Goofy as he let go of Mickey, twirled his staff, and slammed it down onto Goofy's foot. Goofy howled in pain as he bounced up and down, holding his foot. "That hurt, too." he moaned to Donald. "Ooh, don't you ever do that again!" Donald scolded him, but never the less was happy to see his friend alive. Mickey watched them happily as they were reunited.

"Oh, that reminds me." Yui stated, flying over to Goofy, "Show Sora, mama and papa what we found for them!" Goofy remembered that they did find something, and he pulled out three magic orbs and gave them to the three Keyblade wielders. "Those are the Cure Elements." Yui explained, "It'll upgrade your Cure to Cura, healing more stamina." "Could've used that before." Kirito sighed as he absorbed the element.

"Well, now that we're all together, lets help out our friends more!" Mickey declared. "Yeah!" shouted the others, punching the air with their fist. They gathered together, found another torn page of Pooh's Storybook, and continued onward to the battlefield.

**Chapter 5: The 3000 Heartless Battle**

They dashed to the Great Maw, with Mickey in the lead. Up in front, an uncountable amount of Heartless were right in front of them. The group found something strange about them until they realized it; they weren't moving. The group skidded to a halt. "What's with them?" Sora asked as they saw all the Heartless in their place.

"Up there!" cried Yui, pointing to the cliffside, where they saw a black portal opening up. Out of it came another Organization member. He uncovered his hood to reveal his face, which was dark-skinned, with long silver hair that reached his shoulders and mid-back, and it stuck out in some places.

He turned to where the party was and stared at them with his amber eyes. His face looked to familiar. "It's the guy who's NOT Ansem!" Donald spoke everyone's mind. "You mean it's his Nobody!" cried Goofy and Asuna. "The leader of Organization XIII!" Kirito and Sora growled.

"Wait a minute. Now I know!" gasped Mickey, and everyone looked to him, "Now I remember! Xehanort! Ansem's apprentice. The leader of Organization XIII is Xehanort's Nobody!" "That guy use to be Ansem's apprentice?!" Kirito gasped, "Man, talk about a twist of fate."

Mickey produced his Keyblade, and charged up the cliff to where Xehanort's Nobody stood. "Let's go!" Sora shouted to the others, and they were about to follow Mickey when the Heartless moved in, circling the heroes. There were certainly tons and tons of Heartless as the team produced their weapons. "Move it!" shouted Sora. "We can't let Xehanort get away!" Donald told them.

"Yui, can you tell us how many there are?" Kirito asked the fairy in his pocket. Yui scanned the area. "Let's see...If my calculations are correct, I say...three thousand Heartless!" "Three thousand?!" gasped Asuna, "There's no way we can beat those odds." "They aren't that strong." Yui explained, "But their numbers are a problem." "This is nothing compared to the World Tree's Grand Quest battle I had to deal with." Kirito muttered, "We can beat them, everyone!" "Right!" Sora answered.

The team looked to each other. Donald and Goofy both gave thumbs up at them. Kirito and Asuna smirked at them, then to Sora, who looked at the two, and nodded in response. The team spread out from all sides, ready to take on the monstrous horde.

Everyone lost sight of each other as they went to work against the Heartless. Sora was immediately striking like crazy at the horde with furious combos. He noticed a Surveillance Robot near him, grabbed it, and fired a laser beam from it, spinning it all around at the horde before tossing it aside.

Asuna was jabbing the horde as she was being pushed back into the wall. She struck an Armored Knight, and followed through with the reaction 'Rising Sun', swooping down from the sky onto the horde like an eagle five times, destroying any Heartless that came in her path. "Well, that's a few down." Asuna stated as she landed and saw dozens more come her way.

Kirito was basically going to town on all the Heartless. He didn't bother with the reaction skills, but just mowed them down one after another. When he cleared a wide area around him, he pulled out the Arcade Charm that Tron gave him. "Time to see who I'm given." Kirito muttered to himself, and he lifted the charm high shouting "_Summon!"_

In a short cutscene, a large brick wall appeared behind Kirito. He turned to look at it, then the wall was shattered apart as a big guy with large arms, brown hair, and orange shirt with a green shirt underneath, and overalls that had one strap broken. He dusted off his hands and looked to Kirito. They fist-bumped each other.

"Hey, there!" he said, "I'm Wreck-It Ralph. Need me to wreck somethin'?" "If you think you can handle these things." Kirito answered, waving a hand to the Heartless, "Hope you like to smashing opponents!" "I'm gonna wreck them!" Ralph answered, thumping his fists together, and the two went to work.

Ralph was definitely someone Kirito rather enjoyed being with. Ralph's main way of attacking was using his fists, which knocked the Heartless senseless. He also jumped into the air, flipped upside down, and fisted the ground repeatedly to produce wide-range quakes that sent Heartless flying in the air, making them easy prey for Kirito. He even produced a wrecking ball at times, spinning it above him and then send hurdling towards the Heartless. _His name says it all._ Kirito thought as he smirked at Ralph as he was working, _This guy's a total wrecker._

The two then got together and performed their Limit Break, Retro Wreckers, where everything went 8-bit around them, and Ralph and Kirito, also 8-bit, stood on top of a large brick building. Ralph and Kirito then started to pound away at the building and bricks and debris fell on top of the horde of Heartless as the two chiseled their way through the brick building until the Limit Break was up.

They had cleared over two hundred Heartless together before Ralph started glowing. "Seems like I need to get to my game now." Ralph stated. "You've been a big help." Kirito responded, "You really wrecked things up here!" They gave each other a thumbs up before Ralph disappeared. "Now, where were we?" Kirito asked himself as more Heartless came in after them.

Everybody kept going against the Heartless. The opponents just kept coming at them, but they weren't giving up. With the combination of their attacks, reaction commands and such, the team was taking them down. The Keyblade wielders all took their Limit Forms, and started taking the Heartless out with their skills. Taking out the Heartless certainly gave them easier to boost their strength.

Kirito performed his Horizontal Square sword skill at a group of Heartless, panting slightly from fighting so many opponents. He saw more coming in, and gritted his teeth, tired of it already. Suddenly, he felt something in him give him strength, and suddenly, in his other hand, his 'Lionheart' keyblade suddenly was produced into his hand.

"Wait, does this mean...?" Kirito started, seeing his secondary Keyblade. "You did it, papa!" cheered Yui from Kirito's pocket, "By fighting a lot in your Limit form, you unlocked your 'Dual Wield' ability. It even changed your sword skills, too!" Kirito smiled eagerly at this, then looked to the horde ahead of him. "Hmph, these guys are in soo much trouble." Kirito muttered, raising his two Keyblades, and he started swiping furiously at the horde, taking them down twice as fast.

Sora, meanwhile, was getting stronger and stronger in his Limit Form. His Dodge Roll kept improving, and he was able to stay in his form loads longer, too. He rolled right through a group of Heartless, and performed his Ragnarok in a bunch of Heartless, knocking them all out. "If this keeps up, I'll be able to beat everything here in no time!" cheered Sora, and he leapt up and started doing the 'Rising Sun' reaction.

Meanwhile, Asuna's Limit Form granted her something that was unusual, for it was more of an ALO-based improvements. Sure, her skills were swifter, but two things happened to her; One was that she was given her own unique skill, Speed Wing, where she was able to produce wings just like her ALO avatar, and her attack speed improved. Secondly, she was granted a skill that replaced 'Linear' to become 'Starry Tear', a six hit combo. "These feel like a combo of my SAO and ALO avatar." Asuna said, pausing to feel her new powers, "Still, I like it a lot." She flew upwards, and dive-bombed into the crowd.

It was clear that all through the battle, they were getting stronger, and that they were getting better with fighting. Clearing the horde got faster and faster the further along they got into the fight. Donald and Goofy couldn't be seen by the others either, but they were kicking just as much butt as the rest of the team.

After a half-hour of fighting, the horde finally dwindled away. The Keyblade wielders have already exhausted their Limit Forms as they charged up the pass to the hill where Xehanort was suppose to be at. Asuna was the first to arrive there, but she slowed down to catch her breath. The other two boys caught up with her, and they too stopped to catch their breath. "Phew! That was rough." Kirito sighed. "But at least we took care of the army." Asuna panted, "And we got a lot stronger." "Yeah," Sora agreed, "We...did pretty good out there." The trio looked to each other, and even through that situation, they couldn't help but laugh a little. They were just glad that they were all alright.

They looked behind them and saw Donald and Goofy join up to meet them. "Where's the King?" Sora asked the two. The team looked all around, searching for him. "There he is!" Donald shouted, pointing at the spot where Mickey was taking out an Armored Knight. "C'mon!" Sora shouted, and the group charged in to meet him.

**Chapter 6: The Organization's Motives**

At the hill where Xehanort stood, Mickey was standing right behind him, panting from the fighting he had to deal with. "Your Majesty!" Donald shouted, and he turned to see Sora, Kirito and the gang run up to meet him. Mickey looked pleased to see his friends alright, then he whipped his head back to the man before him. "Xehanort!" addressed Mickey.

"How long has it been since I abandoned that name..." the man said, looking slightly above him. "Out with it, Nobody!" growled Sora, "Where's Kairi?! Where's Riku?!" "I know nothing of any Kairi." the man answered, "As for Riku..." he turned to them, "Perhaps you should ask your king." Sora looked startled at his words, and looked to Mickey who stood beside him.

"Stop!" ordered Mickey, and he charged ahead at the Nobody, who begun producing the black portal. He disappeared into it, and Mickey leapt in after him. A second after he entered, the portal vanished. "King Mickey!" shouted Asuna as the portal vanished. "He's gone..." moaned Sora. Sora fell back onto his butt, frustrated. He continuously smacked the ground with his fist until Kirito grabbed his fist and Goofy came to his other shoulder. Yui landed onto Sora's head, trying to comfort him. "I'm sorry, Sora." Asuna told him. Sora looked to all of his friends, glad for their kindness. "Everyone." moaned Donald, also upset to see the King go.

There was a pause, then they heard someone's cry. They looked up to see Leafa in her Limit Form fly up to meet them. "You ok, Leafa?" Kirito asked, walking up to her as she landed on the edge of the cliff. "Never mind that, Kirito." Leafa answered, "Look!" She pointed off into the distance, and the team noticed something off. They gathered to the cliffside, and looked out to the old town and castle that stood off in the distance. There were no Heartless anywhere, which seemed strange to them. "What's goin' on?" Goofy asked.

"Way to fall right into their trap." said a sarcastic voice. They looked around, and noticed another Organization member, one who Leafa knew too well, leaning against the rocks. "Axel!" she shouted, leading the team to him as they brandished their weapons, ready for a fight. "Long time no see...Leafa, right?" Axel asked. "Guess you really did get my name memorized." she growled, fully ready to take him on.

"What do you mean 'trap'?" Asuna asked him, pointing her Keyblade at him. "C'mon, it's a set-up by Organization XIII." Axel answered, walking towards them, "Xemnas is using you to destroy the Heartless; that's his big master plan." "Xemnas?" echoed Donald. "The guy you just saw." Axel pointed out, "He's their leader. Got it memorized? X-E-M, N-A-S."

Sora and Kirito looked perplexed at what Axel was saying, and so was everyone else. "Organization XIII wants to get rid of the Heartless?" Goofy asked. "Man, you're slow." chuckled Axel, pointing at their Keyblades, "Every Heartless slain with those Keyblades releases a captive heart. That is what the Organization is after."

"So what is the Organization gonna use the hearts for?" Yui asked, flying in front of the others. "I'm not telling." Axel answered bluntly. "Tell us right now!" shouted Leafa, and she flew right at Axel, who didn't waste any time brandishing his chakram. She lunged with her Keyblade, and Axel blocked her attack. He produced his other chakram and attempted to throw it at her. "_Aerora!_" Leafa shouted, and a gust of wind sent Axel skidding backwards. Leafa landed to the ground, ready for more.

"I can see someone has been practicing." Axel said in amusement. "Save it!" shouted Leafa, "Now you give back Kairi right now or else!" Sora suddenly remembered what Leafa told him back in Twilight Town. "You...you're the one who kidnapped Kairi!" he accused him. "Bingo." answered Axel, "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" "Yeah, I already told them." huffed Leafa, "You don't have to remind them."

"Where is Kairi?" Sora asked desperately. At this, Axel looked a little hesitant to answering. "Tell him, Axel!" shouted Leafa, "She means a lot to him, so tell him where she is, right now!" Axel looked to Sora, then to Leafa, then up at the sky. "Look, about Kairi, I'm sorry." Axel answered. "What do you mean 'you're sorry'?!" Leafa demanded.

"Axel!" shouted a familiar voice. Axel looked nervously around. Right in the middle of Sora's group, Leafa, and Axel, a black portal appeared, and the man with blue hair appeared before Axel. "Uh-oh!" gasped Axel, and he produced his own black portal. Sora and Leafa made a dash for him, but the man with blue hair held his hands out to stop them. "We'll ensure he receives the maximum punishment." he assured them.

"Then let me do the honors!" Leafa shouted, and she flew over the man towards the place where Axel stepped back. As soon as she got there, the portal disappeared, and so did Axel. She landed on the spot where Axel disappeared. "Dammit! Not again!" she cried, clenching her fists in anger.

Sora watched the spot where Leafa stood, then turned to the man before him. "I don't care about any of that!" he shouted, "Just let me into the realm of darkness, okay?!" Kirito and Asuna looked to Sora. His desperation of seeing Kairi again was really strong. Kirito could easily understand his feelings. When Asuna was trapped in ALO, he was desperate on seeing her again, and he wanted to go to any lengths to see her again. Of course, Sugou was to blame for that, and now he is conflicting with someone else's life here too, as Gouxus.

"If it's Kairi you're worried about, don't." the man told Sora, turning to him, "We're taking very good care of her." "I don't see any proof of that." spat Asuna. "Take me to her." Sora asked longingly. "Is she that important to you?" the man asked. "Yeah. More than anything." Sora answered. "Show me how important." said the man. Sora paused, thinking of a way to show how much he cared for. Kirito watched him as well, wondering how much he cared. What Sora did next startled Kirito, along with everyone else; he knelt down, and placed his hands out in front, in a begging position. "Sora!" Asuna gasped quietly. "Please." Sora asked the man before him. Leafa watched from the other end, seeing Sora begging to see Kairi. She heard how much he cared for her, but this was definite proof as to how far he will go. She wondered if Kirito would do the same for Asuna?

"So, you really do care for her." the man summed up, "In that case...the answer is no." Sora leapt straight back to his feet again, furious at what the man just made him do. "You rotten...!" "How dare you make a fool of Sora!" Kirito growled, Asuna trying to hold him from attacking him, even though she wanted to attack him too.

"Are you angry? Do you hate me?" the man questioned the group, "Then take that rage, and direct it at the Heartless." He snapped his fingers, and more Armored Knights appeared from behind him, right in front of Leafa. Sora and the others readied their weapons, preparing to fight. Leafa looked just as ready, too.

"Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts." the man stated, his arms outstretched as he looked upwards, "And yet they know not the true power of what they hold. The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in darkness, masterless and free, until they weave together to make Kingdom Hearts. And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist."

Sora, Kirito and Asuna all looked to him, realizing what the Organization was after; their Keyblades release the hearts from Heartless, and they gather to Kingdom Hearts, where not only does this man say that the Nobodies will 'exist', but Gouxus will attempt to use it's powers to control the hearts of this and Kirito's dimension. In a twisted manner of fate, it would seem that they were helping Gouxus, Xemnas and the rest of the Organization out by defeating Heartless.

"What in the world do you think you're prattling on about?" questioned a sinister voice. From behind Sora's group, green flames appeared, and Maleficent came out of it. "Kingdom Hearts belongs to me!" she declared, "The heart of all kingdoms, the heart of all that lives. A dominion fit to be called Kingdom Hearts must be MY dominion!" "She's as twisted as Gouxus!" gasped Asuna, hearing her words.

"Maleficent, no! No more Heartless!" shouted Sora. "I do not take orders from you!" she retorted, and she whipped her magic staff upwards. All around the man, Soldier Heartless appeared, ready to attack him. "Fool..." he muttered, and he snapped his fingers. Dusks appeared for every Soldier, and they smacked them to obliteration.

The team looked shocked as the Dusks turned their attention to Sora's team. "Oh, no!" cried Sora, shielding his eyes as he thought they would attack. He paused, then he uncovered his eyes to see Maleficent now in front of the group. She gathered up her dark energy, and produced a fiery barrier that protect the six heroes.

"While I keep these creatures at bay, you devise a way to vanquish them, forever!" "Maleficent." muttered Sora. Kirito noticed the Dusks piling onto her, then he noticed a couple attempt to go after Leafa. "Leafa, run!" Kirito shouted, "You have to get away from here, now!" "But...what about you?!" Leafa asked, worried for her brother. "Don't worry!" Kirito answered, "I have all my friends here. You just make sure you get to Recon, Leon, and everyone else. Please, do it!" Leafa looked at her brother's serious face through the dark green flames, and she nodded and flew off with whatever amount of time she had in her Limit Form, dodging two of the Dusks that tried attacking her.

"Thank you, Maleficent." Yui said kindly to her. "Do not misunderstand me." Maleficent retaliated, "I shall have me revenge on you yet, Sora. The same goes for you too, Keyblade wielders." Two more Dusks pounced and she was pushed to the ground by the pile. "Maleficent!" shouted Sora. "Leave! Now!" Maleficent ordered them. "I don't take orders from you!" Sora quoted.

He was about to leap in when Asuna stopped him. "Sora, let's go!" she told him. "But...what about..." Sora stammered, turning to the pile of Dusks. The flames died down, and Maleficent disappeared. "Now then. Where did we leave off?" the man asked, and he snapped his fingers, and the Dusks disappeared, and more Heartless appeared, surrounding the heroes.

"Which side are you guys on anyway?" Sora asked the man before him. "Just who in the hell are you?!" Kirito demanded, "Tell me your name!" "Well, if you must, you may call me Saix." the man answered, "As for your question Sora, the Heartless ally with whoever's the strongest." He waved his hand, and the Heartless attacked. Sora, Kirito and Asuna struck down the Heartless, and their hearts floated up into the sky. Saix watched them float upwards and smile. "Yes, Sora! Kirito! Asuna! Extract more hearts!" With that, Saix produced a black portal and disappeared.

Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy and Yui all stood back to back as the closing circle of Heartless drew in. "No! The hearts!" gasped Sora, looking up to see the hearts disappear into darkness. "All this time, we've just been collecting hearts for the Organization?" Kirito muttered, "Damn it! Of all the luck!" The group watched the hearts disappear, but they had to defend themselves against the Heartless. Kirito swung his Keyblade at them, and more hearts flew into the air. Asuna was hesitant on fighting the Heartless now, and so was Sora, who was only defending.

"Maybe everything we've done... Maybe it was all for nothing." Sora muttered, doubting himself, "What am I supposed to do if I can't use the Keyblade?!" "I'm not sure, Sora." Asuna answered, "If we fight them, the Organization will take those hearts, and they'll succeed. If we don't fight the Heartless... I really don't know what to do." Kirito looked to his loved one and his best friend, wondering about the same thing.

"Imbeciles!" echoed Maleficent's voice, "You can't be trusted to do anything!" The team looked around, startled, then noticed a black portal beneath their feet, and they sunk into it. They fell through the blackness, and fell to the ground. Asuna and Kirito landed on their feet, with Yui floating down to them. The others collapsed onto the floor, where ever the floor was. They were knocked out for a few seconds, then they stood up, and gathered together.

"What's this place?" Goofy asked. "I have no idea." Kirito answered, "Do you, Yui?" Yui shook her head. "It must be the Realm of Darkness!" Sora assumed, looking upwards and all around him, then he called out, "Kairi! Riku!" The team looked around, searching for any other life around them.

Suddenly, Donald and Asuna noticed someone off in the distance. He had on the Organization's uniform, a hood covered his head, and he held a white box. "Who's there?!" demanded Donald. "Are you from the Organization?!" Asuna asked angrily. The two charged at the figure just as he disappeared into darkness, leaving behind the box.

Donald and Asuna looked down at the box as the others gathered to them. "What is it?" Asuna asked as Donald picked it up. "Are you sure you wanna open..." Goofy started, but Donald opened the box, "...that?" They peered inside and saw two things; a picture of four people, and an ice cream bar.

Asuna reached down and took the picture out of the box and showed it to the others. "Hey, isn't that the gang from Twilight Town?" Kirito asked, "There's Hayner, Pence, Olette, and uh, um..." Nobody knew who the fourth person was except for... "Roxas." Sora ended. "Do ya know him?" Goofy asked. "No." Sora answered, "The name just popped into my head... This is Roxas." "I wonder why you think that?" Yui asked. The team was just as puzzled.

Donald was waving the ice cream bar in one hand, then he opened his mouth. "Are ya sure you wanna eat..." Goofy started, but Donald bit into it, "...that?" Donald was surprised by the flavor. "Salty!" he started, "No...sweet!" "Wait...could this be that Sea Salt ice cream that Leafa and Recon really liked?" Asuna asked, taking the stick of ice cream from Donald and looking at it. She licked it, despite the fact it was in Donal's mouth. "Hey, this is actually good!" Asuna exclaimed, looking at the ice cream.

Suddenly, the ice cream lit up as it fell out of Asuna's hand and floated to the sky. The group watched it, and Sora's, Kirito's and Asuna's Keyblades produced themselves. They looked to their Keyblades, got together, and did the ritual. They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the ice cream glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the ice crean suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.

"Not yet!" Sora shouted, "I gotta look for Kairi!" "We don't have a choice in the matter." Kirito told him, and Yui signaled the Gummi ship to pick them up. "I'm sure we'll find her." Asuna assured Sora, "Let's go back and rethink things here." The light of the Gummi ship picked them up, and they were teleported away.

Back at the bailey of Hollow Bastion. Cloud, Leon and Recon stood there, witnessing a bright light off in the distance. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!" gasped Leon. "Leafa! Kirito! Asuna!" cried Recon. "Relax." Cloud told them, "Those six aren't going down that easily." He turned and walked away as he continued, "The Keyblade's chosen ones...they're lucky kids." With that, Cloud disappeared.

"Recon! Leon!" shouted Leafa's voice. They turned to see Leafa running up to them, now out of her Limit Form. "Leafa, you're ok!" Recon shouted, dashing up to her and about to hug her. "Of course I'm ok." scoffed Leafa, pushing Recon back, "And I'm sure my brother, Asuna and all their friends are safe too. She and Recon walked up to Leon's side, watching a beam of light shoot up into the sky and out of sight. "See you soon." Leon said to himself. "Take care, brother." Leafa said, looking at where the light went.

The team arrived back on the Gummi ship, and they sat back into their seats again, exhausted after the ordeal they had to deal with. "We couldn't have gotten here without Maleficent's help." Yui sighed as she went to the control panel. "I guess sometimes help comes from unexpected places." Sora stated. "Sure does!" agreed Donald.

"But what's with the photo and ice cream?" Kirito wondered. "Hmm. Wonder if they're some sorta clue?" Goofy thought out loud, "And who woulda left 'em for us, anyway?" "Riku?" Sora suggested. "You really think so?" Kirito asked confusingly. "Just this feeling I got." Sora answered. "Well, it seems like were getting closer to succeeding our goals!" cheered Yui.

"I'm just wondering; what if the Heartless come back again?" Asuna asked, "We can't use our Keyblades; that would only help the Organization." "Guys, we have to use them." Kirito answered sternly, standing up and walking in front of the team, "Think about it. If we don't fight them, the Heartless will just keep hurting innocent people. Sure, we might be releasing hearts for the Organization, but we can find a way to stop them from succeeding as well. We can do it, as long as were a team." Sora, Asuna, Donald and Goofy looked admiringly at him. Yui flew to his shoulder, also respecting Kirito's words.

"Your right!" Sora agreed, "Let's make sure all the worlds are completely safe, then we can deal with the Organization when the time comes." "I agree." Asuna seconded, "Ever since we came to this dimensions, we've noticed the Heartless attacking people. I hate to see more innocent people fall because of us." "Then it's settled." Kirito concluded, walking back to his seat, "Yui, set course for the worlds again. Let's make sure the Heartless, the Nobodies, nor the Organization have their way." "You got it!" pipped up Yui, and she set in the coordinates, and they took off.

_(Cue closing song)_

**I think this marks the halfway point in the story (I think). It just keeps getting even more exciting every episode, and I would like to thank you guys for supporting my novel, for I have reached over 11,000 views because of you guys! I am extremely happy! Now you also noticed Wreck-It Ralph's Summon, and I hope you liked it.**

**For the next episode, we are returning to the other worlds, starting with the Land of the Dragons. A mysterious black figure has been seen in the mountains and in the city. What is the person's motivation? Can the team discover him before it is too late? Find out soon!**

**Also, just a reminder, I still have my poll going on Sachi (and possibly other people) being revived again. So far, people want Sachi back, but they also want more than just her. I'm leaning towards that direction, but that doesn't mean I have closed the poll. If you want to vote, go to my profile, and vote at the poll at the top of the screen. Remember, it is one per person.**

**As always, leave a comment and wait for the next update.**


	20. OOPS! My bad on my part

**Hey, viewers. I got some messages about errors on getting onto the next chapter. I apologize for that, for I deleted the 'Vote for a Summon' chapter just in case people mistaken that going on. I knew I should've just edited it to say that the Summon voting was over.**

**Anyway, Episode 16 is now in the 19th chapter, so move back there if you want to read the latest episode. I'm sorry for any conveniences and hopefully you don't hate me for that.**

**Wait for the next update!**


	21. No Chapter this Week Sorry!

**Hey, folks. I'm dealing with a lot of mental issues here, so I am not doing an episode this week. Don't worry, I'll somehow have time to finish the episode and deliver it. Sorry for the inconvenience.**


	22. Ep 17: Warning From the Darkness!

**Hey everyone. Finally, I'm back in action! I have another episode to put down, and it's a bit short. Don't worry, there's a surprise at the end of it. Read and Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: The Nobody in the Mountain**

The Gummi ship was flying in space, heading back to the worlds they visited before. "So where to, everyone?" Sora asked the team. "Hmm, looks like there are only two other worlds we can visit right now." Yui answered, tapping away at the screen, The reason of why we can't visit the others is unknown, but if we solve the solutions of the other worlds, we can probably progress forward.

"So what are the two worlds?" Kirito asked her. "They are...the Land of the Dragons and Beast's Castle." Yui answered him. "It's been a while since we've been to either one." Asuna stated, "Though it would be nice to see Mulan again." "Then let's go see here!" Donald declared. "You know what to do, Yui." Kirito told her. She smiled and tapped away at the computer, and the team ventured to Mulan's world.

_(Cue opening theme)_

They arrived at the atmosphere of Mulan's world. They walked to the transporter, and they warped down to the surface. When they landed, they found themselves in the middle of the destroyed mountain village. They looked around, and saw no life near them. The team started walking around the place. "I wonder how everybody's doin'?" Goofy asked.

"Look!" gasped Donald and Yui, pointing in front of them. At the exit of the village, a man in an Organization XIII outfit was there, with his hood up. He turned to their shout, saw who it was, and took off up the mountain. "Wait!" shouted Sora, and he was about to lead the charge when someone behind them called out his, Kirito and Asuna's name. They turned to see Mulan run up to meet them, breathing heavily.

"Hey, Mulan!" Asuna greeted her, "I would love to stay and chat with you, but we need to catch that guy!" "I'm following him, too!" Mulan told them. "Then let's go!" declared Donald. They recruited Mulan into their team, and they charged up the mountainside.

"So what's been happening to you?" Asuna asked as they ran up the mountain, "Your honor hasn't broken yet?" "No." Mulan answered her, "Thanks to you and everyone, the honor of my family hasn't been shamed at." "And the captain?" Asuna asked her, "How are you two getting along?" "What do you mean?" Mulan asked, blushing a bit. "You know what I mean." Asuna said with a smirk.

Kirito was looking for the Organization member while hearing their conversation. _Is it really the time to ask such things?_ Kirito thought as they made it to the ridge. Kirito then noticed the man they were looking for, continuing up towards the summit. He tapped Sora's shoulder so he could draw his attention to the man. They got the girls' attention, and they ran up the mountain, chasing after the guy.

They made their way up to the summit, where they noticed that the man disappeared from their sight. There was no sign of him there. "Looks like he got away." moaned Mulan, looking around. "How come you're after somebody from Organization XIII?" Goofy asked her. "What is that?" questioned Mulan. "The guy in black." Sora answered. "One of the bad guys!" Donald added. "And they control creatures called the Nobodies." Kirito finished.

"I knew it!" Mulan confirmed, "There's a rumor in the Imperial City about a spy in black, lurking in the mountains. I'd been up here tracking him, but when you arrived, I lost him." The five heroes looked to each other, feeling that they were the ones to blame.

"Er, sorry about that." Asuna apologized, bowing deeply. "Don't apologize." Mulan shrugged off, "But I do wonder where he went." "Probably opened up one of those black portals." Kirito assumed, "That's their way of getting around." The team looked around, hoping the man would reveal himself to them.

Suddenly, The group heard something, and they looked up towards the top to see a horde of Rapid Thrusters swarming at the top, bearing down upon them. It was like before when they fought Shan-Yu on this very summit.

"Again?" Donald moaned. "This is deja-vu all over again." Asuna muttered. The horde of Heartless charged down the slope towards them. The team readied their weapons, ready to take them. "Okay, first things first!" Sora declared. The team charged ahead, but Sora stopped. He felt a mysterious presence of some sort. He turned to see the man in black standing there, facing Sora.

"Hey! You!" barked Sora, waving his Keyblade at him, "Quit sneaking around!" The man merely lifted his hand, pointing at a spot behind Sora. He turned just in time to knock back a Rapid Thruster. "This isn't gonna be easy." Sora muttered to himself, "I have to fight this guy while I deal with the Heartless. Oh well, here's hoping." He raised his Keyblade, and went to work.

This guy produced a sword of his own, one that looked like a red bat wing with a blue eye at the handle. Sora felt like he recognized the sword before, but he couldn't remember where. The guy was definitely well skilled and enduring, because he was blocking Sora's attacks, and the ones he couldn't avoid didn't make him flinch. His swordplay was strong, but Sora was fast enough do avoid them. However, the Heartless swarming around them proved to be a problem. For some strange reason, the mysterious man also attacked them while attacking Sora. Was this because they were in the way? He thought the Organization wanted Sora to take out the Heartless.

As the battle kept going, the man started doing other moves; sword spins, and shooting black spears of energy at Sora. He was having a hard time avoiding all the attacks, but he was managing somehow thanks to potions and his Cura spell. Sora kept striking when the opportunity seemed fit. All in all, the battle seem to go in Sora's favor.

After a while, the place was cleared off all Heartless thanks to the to fighters and everybody else. Sora stood there, realizing they were all gone, then turned to the man who he was fighting with. He felt like this guy was not actually fighting Sora to the death, more rather fighting him while dealing with the Heartless. They looked at each other for a second, then the man waved his hand in a 'whatever' kind of way, then took off down the mountain.

Sora chased after him, but he was too fast, and he disappeared. But he felt like he knew that guy, and one name came into his mind. "That guy..." Sora muttered to himself, "No... Why...would he? Riku?"

**Chapter 2: The Storm of the Dragon**

Sora stood there, wondering if it was really Riku he saw and was fighting with. Kirito, Asuna, Mulan and the gang walked up to meet him. Kirito noticed Sora's expression on his face. "Are you okay, Sora?" he asked him. "Did ya get 'im?" Goofy asked. "Hmm..." he hummed, then he realized he was being spoke to, "Oh, he's gone." "What?! You lost him?" squawked Donald. "Looks like that guy got away from us again." Asuna muttered, sighing somewhat. Yui and Mulan both made eye contact with Sora, and they started to see the look of concern on Sora's face.

"Anyway..." Sora stammered, trying to divert the subject, "What now?" "I think the best thing we can do right now would be to take care of all the Heartless first." Kirito suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement. It did seem to be the best idea they have right now.

Suddenly, the ground suddenly quaked by the sound of a roar coming from inside the mountains. It startled everybody, and they looked around in concern. "What was that?" Mulan asked, looking around, then she turned to Asuna, "Come on, we better get off the mountain." "Okay." Asuna agreed, and the two ladies led the group down the mountain. Sora paused to look back at the summit again, wondering where the man in black was at. "Hey, Sora!" shouted Kirito, "You comin'?" "Y-Yeah, sorry." Sora replied, and he ran to catch up with them.

As they trailed down towards the ridge, the ground shook again, more violently this time. This shocked everyone again. Then from one side, something shot out of the snow. From a distance, the crew could see that this was a vicious Heartless, and a large one too. It had the form of a dragon, and it's gleaming yellow eyes bore down at them. It roared at the group as they readied their weapons. "Yui, tell us what that is!" Asuna asked her daughter as she poked out of Kirito's pocket. "A Storm Rider!" cried Yui in response, "It's an extremely vicious Heartless, and it's thunder-based."

The Heartless looked down at them, then took off down the mountain...towards the city! "It's heading towards the city!" cried Mulan, "We got to warn Shang!" The group went from a walk to a full dash as they charged down the mountain.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, the man in black had just knocked down Shang to the floor. He put his dark sword away and turned toward the Emperor, just as Shang was struggling to get up. He walked up the steps towards the throne, where the Emperor stood there, glaring at the new enemy. The two looked at each other, the tension rising in the room.

Back with the heroes, they were just passing the ruined mountain village, charging down the trail. There were more Heartless there than the last time, and they were stronger two. This included two new Heartless; Emerald Blues, which were a pain to deal with what with the gust of winds they developed, and Neoshadows, the upgraded forms of the standard shadows.

Through a troublesome trip, they made it down the mountain, to the checkpoint, and through the gates towards the city. They were prepared for a fight when they realized something; there were no Heartless around. The Storm Rider hadn't made it's presence yet. It was...too peaceful.

"Huh? Everything's fine." Sora stated as the team looked around. "That can't be right." Asuna stated, growing more concern the more she looked. "Well now..." said a gruff voice. The team turned to see Yao, Ling and Chien Po walking towards them. "Look who decided to show up." Yao said to them. "Sorry you missed me, handsome." scoffed Asuna in a sarcastic tone. Yao growled at Asuna. He really didn't like her since she knocked him down the first time they were in this world.

"What? Is that a problem?" Donald asked. "Nah!" Ling waved off. "We're just glad you're not in black cloaks." Chien Po stated. "You saw him?" exclaimed Mulan. "Yeah, he's in the palace." Yao answered, looking towards the palace. "And you guys didn't stop him?" Kirito asked, surprised they weren't stopping the man. "We tried, but..." started Ling, but his voice trailed off. Kirito assumed that they did try, but failed miserably.

Mulan charged ahead to the palace, with Asuna, Sora and the others in tow. Just as they rushed in, however, three Assault Riders and four Bolt Towers blocked their path. They were certainly difficult to deal with, what with the lancing, ramming and hammering shockwaves. Asuna and Mulan skidded back to one side as the boys were surrounded by the infernal Heartless.

"Hey, Mushu!" shouted Asuna. Mushu came popping out of Mulan's uniform, shouting, "I didn't eat those dumplings!" Apparently, he was just waking up or denying something he actually did. "Never mind that!" Asuna retorted, "How's that 'dragon dandruff' of yours? Is it burning?" Mulan understood what she meant, and so did Mushu. "I'm on fire, baby!" declared Mushu, and the trio went into their Limit Break.

Mushu started by firing a barrage of fireballs at the start, then the other two went in. While Asuna leapt toward the enemies enveloped in flames, Mulan kept delivering fireballs from her hand. They went on like this, going one after another. Finally, Mushu finished it by sent a volley of large fireballs into the air, and the trio got together again as the fireballs came exploding down to the ground like meteors all around them.

The full attack took out all the Heartless, leaving the place clear of opponents. The team gathered together again. "To the palace! Hurry!" declared Mulan. The team nodded in agreement, and they charged towards the steps towards the entrance.

When they got to the doors, they found it locked. "Open up!" shouted Sora, banging against the door. The boys all shoved as hard as they could at the door, but it didn't budge. Asuna and Mulan looked around for any alternative routes inside. Mulan eyed the pillar close to them, and came up with an idea. "Over here!" Mulan told the heroes, and she led them to the pillar. Goofy and Donald got to it first, and one by one, they grabbed ahold of the pillar, and started climbing up it. Kirito and Sora went up next, finished by Asuna and Mulan.

The team were like monkeys as they climbed up the wall, especially the boys. Asuna was struggling a bit, but she was also worried about Mulan right beneath her. At one point, Mulan lost her grip, and she looked like she was gonna fall. Asuna reached out to grab her, but Mulan got her grip back onto the pillar. She looked up to Asuna, and nodded at her to signal that she was ok. The girls managed to make it to the top.

They went through an open space, and managed to get around the door by going through the rafters. They looked down at the hallway before them. It was lit with Chinese lanterns, and at the end were another set of doors, and a man in Organization XIII garments stood there facing the door.

The team leapt down to ground level. Donald couldn't keep his balance when he landed and fell, but he got back up again. They looked ahead at the man in black. "Think that's the same guy?" Kirito whispered to Asuna. "Probably." she replied, "Let's get a closer look. The team ran down the hallway towards the man. The man reached out to open the door before Mulan shouted, "Wait!" the cry startled the man, and he turned to see the team standing there, their weapons raised. For a while there was stillness, then Sora surprisingly lowered his weapon, walking slowly towards the man before them. "…Riku?" Sora asked, and all but Mulan looked startled. They knew about Riku, but was this really the man?

The man lowered his hood, revealing a man with long black and grey streaked hair, a scar on his face, and an eyepatch. "Nope. Never heard of him!" replied the man in an amused tone. This guy was not Riku. Sora raised his weapon again as Nobodies surrounded them, new purple ones with crossbows. "Sniper Nobodies!" warned Yui, "They're really tricky!" "Gotcha." Kirito replied. Sora noticed the man run around them, heading back outside once more. Sora couldn't give chase because of the Nobodies.

The new Nobodies were tricky indeed. There were Dusks mixed into the crowd, at times blocking the team from getting close to the Snipers. This gave enough time for them to charge up before firing their shots at them, which instead of natural arrows, it looked like red, laser like arrows. The arrows paused for a second in midair, giving the team time to avoid them or in Sora, Kirito and Asuna's case, teleport right in front of them and sending them back at the Snipers, causing massive damage. It was fairly difficult, but they managed to take them out.

The team cleared the hallway, and put away their weapons. "Guess it wasn't Riku." Goofy stated to a concern Sora, "Sorry, Sora." Sora looked up at his friends, and smiled as he shook his head, showing that he wasn't that worried. Kirito and Asuna wondered why Sora thought that guy was Riku. Was he thinking that during his fight with the Organization member up in the mountains?

"I can't stay." Mulan said to the team, "I'm worried about Shang." "Oh, right!" Sora remembered. "Then we better get moving." Asuna stated, and the group head to the next room. They entered the throne room, and there was Shang, somewhat battered, but ok, standing next to the Emperor, who sat at his throne. It seemed like Mulan's concern for Shang was falsified.

The team dashed up to the Emperor, Mulan was in the lead. "Your Excellency! Shang!" she gasped, "Something terrible has happened! We saw a huge monster fly out of the mountains and toward the city!" Asuna and Donald nodded in confirmation. "Ahh. So it is as the young man said." the Emperor replied, turning from them to Shang, "Isn't that right, Captain?" "Y-yes, Your Excellency." stammered Shang.

"What young man?" Kirito asked, his eyes narrowed. "You see, a young stranger visited us not long ago." the Emperor explained, "The Captain fought the visitor, but was quickly defeated." _Hopefully not as fast as my fight with him._ Asuna thought secretly. "To my dishonor." Shang muttered, turning to the Emperor.

"It seems that the young man was the one in black that I have heard whispers about." the Emperor continued. "Did he mention the name Riku?" Sora asked the man. "He didn't offer his name." the Emperor replied, "He was rather rude." Asuna looked to Kirito, remembering in the past that he was kind of like that.

"Rude? Then it WAS Riku!" Sora stated excitedly. Asuna and Kirito looked to Sora. "How does 'being rude' mean that it was Riku?" Kirito asked softly, "Is he really like that?" "Riku's in the Organization?" Donald asked Goofy as Yui flew over to them. "Gawrsh…" muttered Goofy, thinking about the possibility. "Well, we don't know that for sure, do we?" Yui asked them.

"But why would he come here?" Mulan asked Sora. Sora folding his arms and thought about it. Kirito and Asuna both were in thought. If Riku was here, and he was Sora's friend, why didn't he reveal himself to him? Was he trying to hide from Sora? If so, why?

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, followed by a booming roar, startling the group. "Sounds like it's here." Asuna stated, looking up above her. "I'll check outside." Mulan told the Emperor. The team turned to leave when they heard Shang cry, "Mulan!" They stopped abruptly and turned to the captain. "Shang, guard the Emperor!" Mulan ordered him, "I'll be fine, with them!" she addressed Sora, Asuna and the team. "Th-that's right!" stammered Sora. "You bet she's safe with us!" Asuna assured Shang.

"Indeed." agreed the Emperor, "That is true: We need not worry while you protect us." Shang turned to the Emperor, nodding in understanding. "Hurry!" squawked Donald, drawing the teams attention.

"Here." Shang said, walking over to a chest and opening it, revealing a strange shield, "I'm sure this will be useful." "That's the Ogre Shield." Yui whispered as Sora took it and gave it to Goofy for him to use. Kirito also noticed another piece of Pooh's Storybook in a corner of the steps, and picked it up before they took off to take on the treacherous opponent outside.

**Chapter 3: Air Battle Against the Storm Rider**

The team ran through the hallway to the doors that led outside. Mulan and Asuna were the first to reach the big doors, and they slowly pushed them open. As they opened it halfway, they were startled by the large Heartless they saw before; the Storm Rider. It lowered it's head towards the girls and roared at them. They backed off to Sora and Kirito's side, but the boys reassured the girls, and the team charged outside.

The Heartless flew up into the air, and started circling them. After circling around once, it swayed around, then it dived bomb at the team. They scattered about, avoiding being hit by it. Kirito and Sora got quickly to their feet and charged at the level Heartless, grabbing its' tail. Asuna and Mulan ran up to meet them, followed by Donald and Goofy. They all got onto the Storm Rider just as it flew up once again into the sky again.

The dragon roared as the team stood there on his back. "We need to knock him down!" Asuna shouted. "Take out the horns near wings!" cried Yui, "Attacking the head will also do too!" The team nodded in response, but just as they were about to start, Sora's instincts told him to grab onto one of its' back spikes. Kirito, Asuna and Mulan also felt like they had to, and they all grabbed ahold of one of the spikes. Their instincts were right on, cause the Storm Rider suddenly looped in the air, trying to shake them off. Donald and Goofy fell to the ground below, but the others held on.

When the Storm Rider finished, they let got and got to striking at the spikes one either of it's wings. Kirito and Sora attacked one horn while Asuna and Mulan attacked the other. It was a bit difficult what with the small room they were given, not to mention the Heartless tried shaking them off twice more. It even started summoning lightning bolts onto the team, which added to the inconvenience.

Sora and Kirito's side took out one of the spikes, and saw that Mulan and Asuna were almost done with their side. Just as they were about to finish however, the Heartless spiraled in the air, and the team fell to the ground, not expecting it to do that. "Now what do we do?!" Asuna asked solemnly. Sora looked around, and noticed small, tornado-like winds spinning around the place. He went up to one and started floating in the center. He guided the wind up close to underneath the Heartless, and used the wind to send himself flying high into the air above the Storm Rider. "I didn't think of that." Kirito said as Sora managed to get his foothold onto the Heartless' back.

Sora started swinging at the horn until it too broke. This caused the Storm Rider to go spinning to the ground, phased by the attack. The team went to work on striking it anyway possible. Through this, the team realized that electric attacks were non-effective to it. They also realized that it was gonna take a whole lot to take down the beast.

Suddenly, the dragon let out a tremendous roar, and it sent everybody away from it. Then once the coast was clear, it took off into the sky once more. It got to one side of the courtyard, and it clapped its' cymbal like feet, and it flew in a straight line, dropping a plethora of bombs down as it went. Mulan almost got hit by it, but Kirito made a dive for her, pushing her out of the way, but he got blasted instead. "Kirito!" shouted Sora and Asuna in unison. Kirito flew in the air, but then spun around and landed on his feet again. "No worries here." he assured them, feeling damaged, but still strong.

Sora and Asuna each went to different small tornados, and attempted to use them to get on top of the Storm Rider. The dragon Heartless was moving around quite a lot, and they failed to land onto it. Then it got to one side of the courtyard, and aimed it's sights onto Kirito, Goofy and Mulan as it dived down to tackle them. Kirito dashed forth and went into a slide, getting underneath the belly of the beast, then he slashed at it strong, ending with an uppercut, sending it flailing in the air. Kirito landed in a pose as the Storm Rider landed right behind him, dazed from the attack.

Asuna and Donald took this chance to shoot a barrage of Blizzara attacks as the Heartless stayed there. Kirito, Mulan, Goofy and Sora all started striking its' head, their combined effort knocking it silly. This still wasn't enough cause it roared once more, sending the close combatants flying backwards as it took off once more.

The Storm Rider was now even angrier. Thunder attacks kept shooting around the stadium as it flew, which were in most cases easily avoidable. What wasn't easy to avoid were the lightning bolts that it shot out of its' wingtips. They always seem to curving towards the spots where the team stood. The attack knocked Donald and Goofy out cold, while the others were already having trouble avoiding its' attack.

It then shot out more bombs, giving Kirito a chance to find a tornado. He waited for the beast to pause before he shot himself at it, transforming into his Valor Form as he did so. He managed to land onto his back, and started a flurry of attacks on the horns on its' wingtips. He took one out, paused to grab ahold of one of the Storm Rider's spikes as it tried to flip Kirito off. "Hold onto him, Kirito!" shouted Asuna. Sora took this time to revive Donald and Goofy. Mulan decided to make an attempt of riding one of the tornados, sending her up straight at the back of the beast. Kirito let go of spike, and started attacking the other horn once more.

Mulan landed onto the Heartless' back just as it started attacking with more lightning attacks from its' wings. The target, however, was Kirito and Mulan as they curved around to meet them. The attack electrified the two, and Mulan was knocked out cold as she fell to the ground. Asuna made a sliding catch for her, and she landed safely. Kirito witnessed this, sighed in relief, then furiously took out the other horn, causing it to collapse to the ground once more.

Asuna revived Mulan again, and the girls charged in as Donald, Goofy and Sora went ahead of them. Sora went into his Wisdom form, and started shooting a barrage of shots from his Keyblade at the dazed beast, while Kirito attacked with all his might at the beast's head. The team felt like the Heartless was on its' last leg, but they couldn't defeat it at that moment, cause it let out another deafening roar, causing the team to fall back as it spiraled up into the air, only to land onto the bridge that led to their platform.

"What's he planning?" Kirito wondered as it roared again. Suddenly, from either side of the courtyard, walls of lightning shot from the ground, enclosing started to move inward, causing the team to move into the middle of the field, where the head of the Storm Rider was at. Kirito and Sora made an attempt to strike it, and they scored a few attacks before it started charging up for an attack using the horns on its' head. Kirito and Sora tried backing away, but it then shot out a massive beam of lightning at them, not only striking them but Donald too. The attack, knocked the trio back, electrocuted. "Guys!" Asuna cried to the trio that got fried.

Sora and Kirito shakily got to their feet again, their body feeling a bit numb. Donald was knocked out cold once again. Asuna, Mulan and Goofy watched their struggle to get up as the lightning streaked across the walls, attempting to attack them. Asuna turned to see the Heartless already charge up for another blast, and she signaled the other two to grab the boys. Asuna grabbed Kirito, Mulan got Sora, and Goofy grabbed Donald. They barely dodged the Storm Rider's next assault. "Th-thanks!" stammered Kirito as Asuna let go of him. "No problem." Asuna replied, "You, Sora and Donald recover here, okay? We'll handle the rest."

Asuna, Mulan and Goofy all turned to where the Storm Rider was at, getting back into the sky again as the walls of lightning disappeared. It soared high into the air, and attempted to shoot lightning bolts from its' wingtips at the three remaining. Asuna stepped forward in front of the two. "_Reflect!_" she cried, and she formed a barrier that not only stopped the lightning attack, but sent a beam right back. However, the Heartless was too far away to damage it.

Asuna, Mulan and Goofy all charged towards three different tornados, and Asuna cued them to shoot straight up towards the Storm Rider. They landed onto it's back, and instead of attacking the horns on the wings, they started attacking it's head. They delivered a good amount of damage to it's head, but then it spiraled in the air, shaking them off again.

They neatly landed onto the ground just as it spun into a dive again, aiming its' sights on them. Asuna dashed forward, slid underneath the monster as it drew close to Mulan and Goofy, and uppercut it into the air. She then leapt upward and mustered all her power to unleash her Shooting Star sword skill at it while in normal form. The attack was intensifying, and she landed onto her feet and one hand as the Heartless started to fall from the sky… down towards Mulan and Goofy!

Goofy ran out of the way, but Mulan was too terrified to think about running. All of the others watched as the Storm Rider fell down towards her. "Mulan!" shouted someone. Shang came dashing over the bridge to Mulan, and attempted to shield her just as the Storm Rider was about to topple onto them. Before it could, it started to vanish as a large, crystalized heart flew into the sky and disappeared, notably going to where all the other hearts were at. Fortunately. Mulan and Shang stood there, unscathed.

"Way to go!" cheered Sora. Asuna sighed in relief for Mulan's safety. Kirito smiled at Asuna and then at Shang, who was lifting Mulan to her feet. They looked into each other's eyes, and smiled. Sora and the others looked on at the scene that took place, grinning at the moment. Asuna walked around them towards Kirito's side. Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket now that the fight was over to watch too. "Seems like those two have a really nice bond with each other." Yui muttered out loud.

Mulan and Shang remembered that the others were there, then turned to each other, and let go of one another, embarrassed at the display they just shown. Asuna giggled encouragingly, then Kirito patted Asuna's shoulder to draw her attention. "You did great out there, Asuna." he complimented her. "Hey, I just did what I could." Asuna replied with a cheeky grin.

"Look!" Yui squeaked, pointing to where the spot the Storm Rider disappeared. Three more magic orbs appeared, flying towards Sora, Kirito and Asuna. "They're Thunder Elements!" Yui explained, "They'll turn your Thunder into Thundara." "That'll come in handy." Sora implied as the trio took the orbs.

Kirito and Asuna held each other's hands as they stared at one another, smiling, the feelings they have for each other flowing between the two. It's been a while since they had a moment like this, not since their first day in this crazy dimension. Their moment was interrupted by fireworks that shot into the sky above the group, celebrating their victory against the Storm Rider. They all looked up at the display, taking in the moment as the fireworks lit up the cloudy sky.

**Chapter 4: The Emperor's Rewards**

The group gathered once more at the Emperor's throne room. Shang went to his place next to the Emperor's side once more. "Once again, you have served China well." the Emperor said to the group before him, "It would please me to reward you. What is it that you wish?" Donald was thinking about money. Goofy thought about food. Kirito and Asuna wanted to go back home, but they didn't think that the Emperor had such a power.

"Well…" Sora started, drawing their attention, "You say a guy in black came to see you. What did he say?" "That is all you request?" the Emperor asked, puzzled. "Yes." Sora replied, causing Donald and Goofy to drop their heads. Kirito and Asuna didn't argue with Sora's request.

"Dragons have crossed our land and left a great web of paths." the Emperor explained, "These dragons wield much power, and they are the source of many gifts to both man and nature. But it would seem someone of evil intent disturbed on of our dragons, and transformed it into what you call a Heartless. It is my belief that this young man came to warn me of that danger. Then, I could alert and prepare my troops." Kirito and Asuna were puzzled from this. They guessed that the Organization wouldn't act in such a kind manner.

"Did you?" Sora questioned the Emperor. He chuckled in response. "I was about to, be he told me the situation had changed." he told them. "He said four 'wise guys' and a girl had arrived, and they would take care of things." Shang explained with a smirk. The five heroes looked to each other, Sora, Donald and Goofy laughing in excitement. "That's gotta be Riku!" Sora cheered. "He called a 'wise guy'?" Kirito asked in a confused manner as Asuna and Yui laughed at him. Donald and Goofy stopped laughing and looked to each other, worried.

"But what's he doin' hangin' out with Organization XIII?" "No idea." Sora replied, "But at least I finally know he's okay. That's good enough." "He could be disguised as one of them so he can infiltrate them from the inside." Kirito suggested, "I've seen that happen a lot." Sora turned to Kirito, smiled and nodded, considering that possibility. "Yeah, that's good!" agreed Donald.

"Now then, Fa Mulan." the Emperor continued, "Do you have a request?" "I like Shang…I-I mean… well… The Captain…" Mulan stammered, trying to put her request into the right sentence. "Yes, yes, my dear. What is it?" the Emperor asked hastily, interested in what she wants to ask. Mulan paused before asking, "Could the Captain have a vacation, please?" Shang looked surprised at her wish. Asuna wasn't surprised, since she understood what Mulan was asking for.

"I hardly expected such humble requests." chortled the Emperor as he stood up and walked forward, "In this case, I'm afraid I must refuse. Captain Li's responsibility is to protect the Emperor." Mulan looked down in solemn. "And yet, Mulan…" the Emperor continued, "Would you like to serve alongside him and protect me?" "What?" gasped Mulan and Shang. "Two reeds together are stronger than one." the Emperor quoted as he turned his back to them, "But the choice is yours alone." "Thank you, your Excellency!" Mulan replied happily, bowing to him in respect.

As Mulan and Shang looked to each other, Sora couldn't help but feel a little teary-eyed at this moment. As he wiped them away, Donald and Goofy drew close to him, and Sora tried to shake off so as to act cool. Asuna knelt her head onto Kirito's shoulder in a loving manner, and Kirito didn't shrug it off. The held each other's hand once more as they saw Mulan and Shang together. This feeling of love and pride they had for one another was surely something that all of them would remember for the rest of their time.

**Somebody asked for 'where's the romance?', I gave them just that. It's short, but there wasn't a whole lot to add from the gameplay story plot. Still I hope you liked it.**

**Now as for the surprise, since this is a short episode, I decided to add in a sneak preview of the next series. Here's a sneak peek to Kingdom Hearts II: Dimensional Hearts!**

After guiding the Gummi ship through another obstacle course full of Heartless, they finally arrived at the next world. Down below, they could see that it was a vast ocean-like world, with tons of islands all around. The focal point was a very large, desert island, with a couple of large cities in it.

"So what's this world's name?" Sora asked Yui as she went to the monitor. "Let's see…" Yui muttered as she pulled up Sahz's system, "Got it! The place were going to is called 'Alabasta Kingdom'. Apparently, it's in a middle of a civil war right now." "A civil war?" Kirito asked, "That would be a preferable place for Heartless to pop up." "Does it say anything else?" Goofy asked Yui. "Well, apparently this world is also in the middle of something called the 'Great Pirate Era'." "Pirates? Cool!" cheered Sora, "So it's like being with Jack again." Kirito remembered Jack Sparrow way back when. It was quite a while ago since he saw him.

"So what are we waiting for?" Asuna asked, standing up, "Let's find this world's keyhole, and unlock it." Everybody stood up as well, and they all walked to the transporter as Yui set the coordinates. The team all teleported down to the surface.

When they got there, they found themselves in the middle of a town. The architecture was Arabian mixed with a 19th century American feel to it. There were palm trees sprouted around the place. "Kind of has the feeling of Agrabah." Sora quoted as he looked around. "Except I don't think Agrabah had that." Kirito pointed out a large building in the distance. It was a large, building, with an Egyptian-like structure, only on top of the building was a large, golden alligator with a banana attached to its' head. "What is that?" Donald asked as the team stared at it. "I don't know. But it looks like someplace we should check out." Kirito suggested.

Suddenly, Heartless appeared from all around them. Luna Bandits, and Shadows, even some new ones that looked like the Luna Bandits, but with white attire, and they carried spears. The team whipped out their weapons in response to this. "Looks like we're right on the money with this one." Sora stated as he prepared to attack with his Keyblade. "Yui, what are the new ones?" Kirito asked. "Spear Bandits." Yui replied, "They have a long reach with those weapons." "Then lets attack them before they attack us!" Asuna declared, and the team went to work,

The Spear Bandits did have a long reach, and they spun their spears around like a tornado. Jumping over on top of them was the only option. Also firing Blizzard attacks helped out a lot. It took a couple minutes, but they eventually cleared the area.

"I bet those aren't the only ones." Kirito guessed. Sora, Asuna and the others nodded in agreement. "Let's head to that building over there." Asuna suggested, pointing to the large building with the alligator on top, "We should at least figure out what that place is, or if anyone needs help."

They had just walked forward when a woman's voice said, "That's the casino of Rainbase, Rain Dinners." The team looked sharply up at the rooftop at one of the buildings and saw a beautiful woman sitting on the edge. She was tall, slender woman with black shoulder-length hair and crystal blue eyes. She had a bit of a tan on her. She had on a long white coat, despite the desert heat, with her slightly large chest showing a bit. and a white, cowboy style hat and shoes to match. In many cases, she was absolutely gorgeous, but also had a mysterious feel to her.

For a while, the group looked at the woman who sat above them, and she looked down at them. "So tell me, where did you come from?" the woman asked, eying the group, "You don't look like you're from around here." "Who are you?" Sora asked, trying to divert the question. The woman smiled down at them, "You can refer to me as Mrs. All Sunday." she replied, "That's my codename." Kirito felt something was off about this woman, particularly on how she slyly grinned at them. She knew something about them.

**I said anime would be the worlds, and One Piece is one of my favs. I hope you guys are intrigued as to what's to come in the future! As for the intro, I already decided; 'Soul Drive' by Color Bottle. A new, action-packed world requires an action packed song, and this song is awesome!**

**For the next episode, it's back to Beast's Castle, where Xaldin takes things too far! Time for the team to take charge into stopping him for good! Please leave a comment and be patient!**

**Oh, and one more thing; the first poll is finished, but the next poll is happening now: For Sword Art Kingdom II, where should the team go? I have selected a few of my favorite ****anime that might work, so pick three of them. The poll can be viewed at the top of my profile, so vote!**


	23. Ep 18 Whirlwind Lancer! Xaldin's Stand!

**Chapter 1: The Ballroom Brawl**

The Gummi ship managed to get to Beast's Castle once more. They looked down at

where the castle was at. "I hope the Beast is ok." said Sora. "Yeah, and hopefully that Organization member didn't do him in again." Asuna added, "What was his name again… Xaldin?" Kirito nodded in response to the question. Last time he was here, he was disbelieving to the idea that the Beast was good. He learned better now, and he hoped the Beast didn't hold a grudge for that.

"Let's make sure that the Beast is ok." Sora suggested, standing up and walking towards the transporter. "And let's hope he and Belle have made up again." Yui added, flying to the computer. Everyone else followed behind him. Yui set the coordinates, and the team teleported down to the castle.

When they arrived, they found themselves at the entrance doors inside the castle. They also noticed something that made Kirito rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Pacing at the base of the stairs was the Beast, but he had totally changed. He was standing upright, was well groomed, and was wearing a blue and yellow-lined suit, complete with black pants, white cuffs and a cumberbun. He, in many cases, was less of a beast in this uniform, despite his physical appearance.

He was pacing back and forth, looking worried as he looked up the steps. "Hey there!" Sora called out waving as he stepped forward. Asuna wondered if Sora had a sense of tact since was able to see what was going on. Donald took a quick look around. "No Heartless and no Nobodies!" he pointed out. "I doubt they'll show themselves this easily, Donald." Kirito retorted, "Still, they might be close." "Better watch out!" Sora told the Beast.

The Beast turned away from them, and growled slightly. "Is there something wrong with him?" Yui asked Kirito. He shrugged, having no idea. "What are you so mad about?" Donald asked the Beast. Beast turned to them and said, "Why are you here?" "The Nobodies' world has to be out there somewhere." Sora stated, "We're looking for a way in." "Plus, we wanted to make sure nothing bad has happened here." Kirito added. The Beast huffed in reply.

Asuna gasped and the team, looking at the direction for which Asuna was looking at, saw why. Belle stood up at the staircase that led to the east wing. She was dressed in a beautiful yellow ball gown, her hair tied by a ribbon of the same color. If she was beautiful before, she was down right gorgeous now.

As she walked down the curved staircase, Beast walked up the first flight towards the ballroom. "Tonight is very important." he told the team. Belle looked to Sora, Kirito and the others, then to the Beast, and smiled broadly. Once the two stood in front of each other, they bowed to one another, and the Beast escorted Belle to the ballroom.

"Uh, maybe we came at a bad time." Goofy said to the others. "We should probably come back at another time." Kirito suggested. "I wonder if they're gonna dance?" Asuna wondered, "Does the Beast know how to dance?" "Well, there's only one way to find out." Donald answered, and with that he charged up the steps towards the ballroom, with Sora calling out to him. "Honestly, do you or Donald have any tact whatsoever?" Asuna asked, "Don't you realize they are on a date?" She chased after Donald, with the boys and Yui right behind her.

_(Cue opening song)_

Donald led the team into the ballroom, where they saw Belle and Beast walk towards the center of the room. "Now then, Monsieur, Mademoiselle." started Lumiere, "Please, enjoy the evening." They heard the door shut, and saw Sora, Asuna, Kirito and the others standing there. "And of course, our honored guests are welcome, too." Lumiere added as he saw the group.

"A welcome indeed." said a foreboding voice. Beast recognized the voice, and drew Belle close to him. Sora and Kirito led the group further into the ballroom and looked up to the banister above. "The Organization!" declared Sora. "Xaldin!" accused Kirito, whipping his Oblivion out. "You don't know when to quit." Xaldin said in a calm voice. "Oh yeah! We'll show you!" squawked Donald furiously, shaking his staff around.

Beast looked angrily at the man above him, then dashed forward growling, "Get out!" Belle watched as the Beast charged in. "Not tonight!" she huffed. Asuna looked at Belle, and then glared up at Xaldin, furious for ruining this moment. As the Beast charged in, Xaldin snapped his fingers, and a group of Nobodies were produced in front of the group. A couple were Dusks, but new Nobodies tried attacking Beast, but he knocked them aside. "Their Dragoon Nobodies." Yui explained to the group.

"I've come to take something you hold very dear." Xaldin taunted to the Beast. Beast could only think about Belle, and his fury grew as he roared furiously. "Yes. Let your anger grow…" Xaldin told the Beast, and he disappeared in a black portal. The team looked at all the Nobodies surrounding them. "Beast!" Kirito called out, "We have to get rid of these guys first!" The team all raised their weapons and went to work.

The Dusks weren't the problem here. What was were all the Dragoons. They carried lances, but their most dangerous skill was their jumping power. They kept jumping all over the place at fast speeds, and when they hit the ground, they caused shockwaves. Sora managed to watch them in action, and somehow learned to mimic their move using the power of the Keyblade. This really helped in dodging and attacking at the same time. Within a few minutes, they cleared out all the Nobodies.

"Where's Belle?!" demanded Sora. "Over here!" Belle replied, walking over to them with the servants. They were hiding on the balcony. "Whew, she's okay." sighed Asuna. "Guess Xaldin didn't take anything after all." assumed Goofy. Kirito was lost in thought. No way would the Organization make such idle threats. If Xaldin did say he would take something precious from Beast, he must mean it. If not Belle, then whom

Suddenly, Beast gasped in shock, and he ran off towards and through the doors in a panic. "What's wrong?" Sora asked. Belle ran passed them, in pursuit of the Beast. "Belle?" Sora muttered as the group stared at the doors for which the two left. "What's with them?" Sora asked. "Maybe Belle isn't the only thing precious to the Beast." Goofy guessed. Suddenly, something clicked in both Asuna and Kirito's mind. _The rose!_ they thought in unison. They remembered how much the Beast cared for it. "To Beast's chambers!" Kirito declared, and he charged ahead of the group, with everyone racing behind him.

**Chapter 2: Lament of thy Rose**

They ran out of the ballroom and up the stairs towards the west wing. There were plenty of Heartless out and about now, including the Morning Stars that they fought before at Hollow Bastion, and Hammer Frames from Timeless River, only in color. They ran through the large hallway, fighting Heartless everywhere they went, then went up the stairs towards the corridors to Beast's chamber.

When they entered the room, they found Belle standing there, and the Beast pacing back and forth, his face full of fury. After a couple rounds of pacing, he suddenly roared loudly, slamming the floor with his fists. "What's wrong?" Belle asked him. He didn't reply, but only growled with rage. Belle hesitantly stepped closer to the Beast. "Please, calm down!" she begged to him. "Calm down?!" he echoed furiously, turning to her, "Hmph! You just had to have a party, didn't you? Don't you see what happened?" Belle stepped back in fright as Sora, Kirito and Asuna stepped forward.

"Hey. What's with you?" Sora asked. "Could it be…" Asuna started, staring at the table where the rose in the glass jar was suppose to be, but it wasn't there. "The rose…" moaned the Beast, "My rose…" "What, that?" Sora asked absentmindedly, "He took it?" "But surely, you can find another rose…" Belle suggested to the Beast. "Silence!" barked the Beast, causing Sora and Kirito to step in front of Belle to protect her, "You don't know anything!" "That's enough, Beast!" shouted Kirito, "Don't take your anger out on Belle! It's not like she stole it!" The Beast realized his mistake and sighed deeply as he bowed his head away from the group.

"I'm sorry." Belle said apologetically. "You don't have to apologize." Asuna retorted, patting her shoulder. "But…" muttered Belle. The Beast looked shameful at how rude he was to Belle and the others. He turned away to one side of the room. "Belle…Sora…Kirito…" he addressed them, "I want you to leave the castle." Everyone looked surprised at what he was telling them to do, especially Belle. "Look at me." the Beast continued, "Look. This is what I am. When you first got here, I tried to change. But…I was only fooling myself. I can't be any different. I'll always be a beast. So, I should live like a beast. With no one, alone." He turned towards the window as he finished, "Good-bye, Belle."

"You can't mean that…" Belle said, looking woefully at the Beast. He turned to her for a short second, then turned away and walked towards the windows. "Aw, I think his mind's all made up." Goofy whispered to the others as they watched him walk away from them. "Yeah." Sora agreed. Asuna turned to see Belle walk towards the doors. "Hey, Belle. Don't go yet." she asked her, "Leave this to us. I bet if we can find the rose again, he'll calm down." Belle nodded and turned to the group, and they saw tears running down her face before she walked off.

Kirito watched the Beast, not having said a word through all his speech, and he didn't know why, but he started to hate the Beast again. Why? He knew what kind of man he was, but he was giving up a relationship with someone. He wants to be alone, not be part of anyones life, so he pushes everyone away from him. The Beast didn't want to be trouble to others, so he rather be alone. In a way… Kirito understood that, and he hated it. Sora led the other out of the room, Asuna grabbing Kirito's hand so he would follow.

When they walked down the west wing, they saw Mrs. Potts, Lumiere and Cogsworth standing there at the top of the steps. "Poor child…" moaned Mrs. Potts as Belle past them, walking down the stairs and through the doors. "How could it have come to this?" Cogsworth asked. "And they were so looking forward to this evening…" Lumiere muttered. "Now, now, no need to be so sad." Mrs. Potts told the other two, "Once the rose is back safely, this will all be over."

"What's so special about one rose, anyway?" Sora asked. "Don't you remember?" Asuna asked him, "They told us the last time we were here; if the Beast can learn to love, and earn love in return, before the last petal falls, the spell on the castle will be broken." "Yeah. I remember." Donald stated. Kirito was only half-heartedly listening to their conversation, still thinking about the Beast.

"It is as you said, there is a time limit." Lumiere pointed out, "He must find his true love before the last petal falls from that rose." "Ah, but that's not all." Cogsworth intervened, "Over time, caring for that rose has become a cherished part of the master's daily life." "It's as though all his hopes and dreams are tied to that single bloom…" Mrs. Potts added.

"Poor Beast!" Sora exclaimed. "How sad." muttered Yui, poking her head out to listen. "Then we have to get it back." Asuna told the others, and all but Kirito nodded in response. "Please do!" pleaded Mrs. Potts. Kirito heard the Beast's story with the rose, and this somehow made him angrier. He turned back and walked towards Beast's room again. "Kirito? Where you going?" Asuna asked. "If it really is that important to him, then he has to do it himself." Kirito muttered, emphasizing every other word as he walked on. "That… does seem like the right idea." Sora agreed, "Then let's go get him." The others nodded, and they followed Kirito's lead.

Kirito walked into Beast's chamber, where the Beast hadn't moved from the spot at the window, though he was out of the suit. He walked right up to him as the others entered the room. "Hey, Beast." Kirito addressed him. "Leave me alone." the Beast sighed. "Oh, stop with the melodramatics, Beast!" Kirito barked, startling the others, "You need to hear this; you really think living alone is gonna solve anything? It's not! Believe me, I've tried."

Kirito then walked up to one side of the Beast as he continued, "When I first saw you, I was afraid of you, and I thought you really were nothing but a beast. But afterwards, when I saw how much faith everyone had for you, and you finally came back to your senses, I saw the real you. You used to be fearless. You would have given your life to save Belle, just like how I would protect Asuna the same way." Asuna eyes widened as blush marks appeared on her cheeks. "Don't you know what that meant for everyone? You gave us all courage." Kirito told him, "But you know what, you should've saved some of that for yourself. What point is there to throwing your happiness away?" The team started to realize why he was feeling this way. It wasn't that he was angry at the Beast; he was trying to make sure that he wasn't going to make the same mistakes as Kirito.

"From what I heard, the rose is your only hope, isn't it?" Kirito asked, staring out the window, "Well, it's the only hope for Cogsworth and the others, too. So don't throw away your last chance. Think of what it was like before Belle lived here." The Beast started to remember those times, and realized how much had changed.

"You see?" Kirito asked, turning to him, "Believe me, I understand what you are going through. You already know about other worlds, right? Well in the world I am from, I had to deal with a dangerous moment in my life. I didn't just have a handful of servants that relied on me, but 10,000 people. I made a mistake early on, and that cost the lives of a few people I know. I decided to separate myself from everyone, become a solo player, fighting on my own, wanting to be alone, away from everyone, just like how you're feeling now, and I bet before Belle came, too."

He turned to the group behind him, and looked to Asuna. "Then I met someone, and she was full of vigor and pride, and she was quite stubborn. But for some strange reason, I started to feel more open just being around her. I finally found a reason to keep fighting. I wanted to bring her back to her home again. At a couple of occasions, I almost did lose her, and I almost decided to quit it all. But I did something then that you aren't doing now; I decided not to give up. I pushed forward, and I managed to bring Asuna back to me over and over again. And do you know why I didn't give up? Because I love her. And I know you love Belle just as much. So don't give up, ok? Not now, not for her.

For a while, there was silence. Nobody moved. Sora, Asuna and the others stared intently at the back of the Beast. Finally, he said, "I know one thing." He turned to Kirito, who gave a look that asked 'what is it?'. "This castle belongs to me. Xaldin will never be welcome here." Kirito smirked at the Beast, while everyone smiled at Beast's answer. Asuna was especially happy to hear Kirito say how much he loved her.

Then on the table where the rose stood before, a Keyblade keychain appeared there. It had a thorny, stem-like keychain with a rose for it's pendant. "That's the Rumbling Rose." Yui explained, popping out of Kirito's pocket again, "It is specifically designed for physical fights." Kirito walked over and picked it up. He pocketed it, deciding to use it for his secondary weapon for his Valor Form. He then turned to the Beast and everyone else. "Let's show Xaldin how we treat uninvited guests." He sneered.

**Chapter 3: Xaldin's Last Plan**

The team exited the Beast's Chamber and went along towards the entrance hall. Heartless repopulated the area again, and they were a lot tougher. There were even Crimson Jazz as well, and they just kept coming. The team kept darting about, trying to make sure that they weren't hit by their attacks while dealing with them and all other Heartless. It was slow, but they managed to make it through the west wing, through west hall and towards the entrance hall.

They had just walked down the last steps when a familiar voice said, "So, Beast…you came after all." They looked up to see Xaldin standing at a high point over the ballroom door, and he had the magical rose in its' jar with him. "You had me worried." he continued, "I was afraid you'd given up for good." The Beast growled at the Organization member high above him.

"What do you guys really want?" Sora demanded. "…Kingdom Hearts." Xaldin answered. Kirito, Asuna and Sora all looked surprised and angered. Xaldin removed his hood to reveal his face, which was black, long and had dreadlocks. "When Kingdom Hearts is ours, we can exist fully and completely." He said, ending with a toothy grin. Donald and Goofy both looked confused. "Screw you, bastard!" spat Kirito. "So you see, Beast, that's why we need your Heartless AND your Nobody!" Xaldin told the Beast.

He snapped his fingers, and more Dragoon Nobodies appeared in between the heroes and Xaldin. "Dammit, these things are a real pain!" Kirito complained as the team produced their weapons. They proceeded to fight with the Nobodies, and there were a lot more than last time. Kirito and the Beast decided that now would be the best time to use their Limit Break, Howling Moon, and destroying the Nobodies everywhere they went.

"Sora!" Goofy called out, "I think I developed a new Limit Break!" "Then let's try it." Sora replied, getting right next to Goofy in preparation for their new Limit Break, Whirli-Goof. They started spinning around in the air, knocking all the remaining Nobodies with their attack. Finally, they finished by rolling around, and their combined energy made their attack act like a barrel rolling around everywhere. They finished off the horde.

When they got done, they looked at the spot where Xaldin was at before, but now he disappeared. They heard something and turned to see Xaldin float down to the open doors to outside, carrying the rose at hand. He looked at them, snorted, and walked off, closing the door behind him. "Come back!" shouted Sora as he, Beast and Kirito led the team to the doors and out of it.

They arrived at the courtyard, and walked around, searching for Xaldin. There was no sign of him. Goofy then looked upward and saw someone looking out into the courtyard from a balcony. It was Belle, in her normal dress, and she looked depressed as she rested her head over the edge of the balcony. Yui came out of Kirito's pocket and flew up to her. "Belle!" she squeaked, landing right next to her, "Don't look so sad. We straightened the Beast out. Look!" she pointed down at courtyard below, where everyone was looking up at her, Donald and Goofy waving their hands up at her.

Belle straightened herself up, looking relieved that the Beast was ok now. "We're trying to find Beast's rose." Yui told her, "Let's go look for it together!" Belle nodded in reply, and she was about to open the door into her room when she looked to one side. On the floor sat the rose in its' glass jar. "Here it is!" gasped Belle, picking up the glass jar. She ran over to the edge with Yui, so that everyone could see her and the rose. "Look! It's the rose!" she shouted down below. Everyone looked up to see it. It took Kirito only a second before realizing how wrong the scenario was. "It's a trap!" he shouted to Belle.

Belle only had one second to realize what he had said before someone came from behind, grabbing her and muffling her with his hand. It was Xaldin. "Belle!" shouted the Beast. "I'll save you!" Yui shouted, trying to relinquish the hand that covered Belle's mouth. He merely whipped his hand, tossing Yui aside. She had just regained her balance in the air before Xaldin got onto the edge of the banister, carrying both Belle and the rose, and with one tremendous leap, they jumped all the way to the outside of the castle walls. "Oh, he is so dead!" growled Asuna as Beast led the team towards the outside, Yui flying down to Kirito again. "Hurry!" shouted Sora.

The Beast slammed the door open to the stone bridge, where they met up with Xaldin, who had Belle grasped in one hand, and the rose in its' jar in the other. The team stopped, meters away from him. This was a hostage situation, and they couldn't get in any closer. They couldn't even use their magic, providing the fact that Xaldin would probably use her as a shield.

"You!" roared the Beast, "Get out of my castle, now!" "With pleasure, but I'd rather travel light…" taunted Xaldin, "What shall I leave behind? Belle? Or the rose?" The angered Beast was looking to the two things he care for, not sure what to pick. Everyone else looked infuriated at what Xaldin was putting the Beast in. Finally, Beast shouted, "Belle!" and he made a dash for her. Xaldin moved the rose forward so as to taunt him even more.

Belle suddenly did something no one expected her to do. She shrugged off Xaldin's arm, and elbowed him in the gut, causing him to flinch. She took this moment, grabbed the jar with the rose, and took off to the others. "Good one, Belle!" cheered Sora as she passed him and the Beast. "That was awesome!" whooped Asuna as she passed her. Kirito couldn't help but notice the broad smile on her face. She rather enjoyed it. _That girl's got more than beauty._ he thought to himself as she took off to the courtyard.

The Beast charged at Xaldin and attempted to swipe at him. He leapt into the air, and landed on the other side of the bridge. The team gathered, producing their weapons as Xaldin looked up at them, looking somewhat cross. He then lifted his hand into the air, and six spiraling cyclones surrounded him, with flashes of purple lightning going up it. Finally, they disappeared, revealing six lances. They rocketed into the air, and they fell down to Xaldin, who grabbed two in one hand, one in the other, and the remaining three floated on the wind around him. "There's no fun in this." he muttered to the group. "Then let me show you how I have fun!" taunted Kirito. The battle against Xaldin was about to begin.

**Chapter 4: Battle with the Whirlwind Lancer**

Kirito, Beast and Sora charged in first as Xaldin used Aero magic to conjure up a wind shield around him. The team struck him, but the shield only halved the damage. He then retaliated by thrusting his lances directly at the crew, sending them toppling backwards. Asuna then blasted Xaldin with a Thundara spell, but it wasn't as strong. He attempted to swing his lances at her, but she blocked them with her Keyblade.

She then started to remember the Jump technique the Dragoons pulled before, and started to use the power of Xaldin's attack to gain the ability to use the attack a couple times. She then performed the Jumping skill, teleporting into the air above Xaldin, and piercing right through the Aero Shield, causing him damage twice. She then jumped away to Donald and Goofy's side to keep herself away from him.

This wasn't useful at all. Xaldin suddenly used his own Jump ability, only it was plenty stronger than Asuna's, and he used his lances a few times on her, Donald and Goofy before jumping down on top of her. It's attack knocked Asuna down, and Donald and Goofy were splayed on the ground aways from her. Xaldin had just teleported again to unleash the same technique onto her again when Sora dove in, slashing him before he had a chance. He then furiously slashed at Xaldin with his Keyblade before the Beast cut in, knocking him down. Kirito went to Asuna's side to give her a potion, despite the fact he could use Cura magic. He rarely uses his magic skills.

Even after taking a lot of damage from Asuna, Sora and the Beast, Xaldin was nowhere near finished. In fact, he started to attack even stronger. He moved a lot faster, and his range and power were a lot better. Sora attempted to use another Jump skill, but he was moving too quickly. He kept slashing at the crew with rapid strikes from his lances. All six heroes did their best to score direct onto him. Asuna was plenty fast enough to strike at him, able to keep up with his attacks. Kirito's combat skills proved the most use in blocking Xaldin's attacks before retaliating. Sora's combo of Keyblade skills and magic were already strong against his onslaught.

If they thought they had the upper hand, however, they were wrong. Xaldin made another furious attack onto everyone, and even produced a powerful Aero attack onto Asuna, sending her backwards into Sora. Kirito watched his girlfriend being tossed back, and looked furiously at Xaldin. "You're going down!" he shouted, "_Valor!_" He attempted to transform into his Valor Form. However, his rage against his enemy took over, and he suddenly transformed into something else. He grew much larger, turning into something everybody did not expect; he turned into the Gleam Eyes. Yui managed to get away before Kirito transformed.

Kirito made a loud roar in anger, raising his head to the sky. "Kirito!" shouted Asuna, frightened at what just happened. "What's going on?!" Donald asked. "I think I know." Yui replied in fright at seeing her father's form, "Sometimes, in the heat of battle, when you attempt to take on a Drive Form, a different part of you will awaken instead. It is called your Anti Form." "Anti Form?" Sora repeated as the five gathered to see Kirito make another roar. "It's basically a form that makes you lose control of yourself!" Yui explained.

Monster Kirito looked down at Xaldin, who looked up at the monster with a calm demeanor. "So this is who you are deep inside." Xaldin said, "I expect your Nobody would be just as powerful. I guess I'll make you one along with the Beast!" He jumped up to attack him with his lances. Kirito retaliated with his claws, slamming him into the ground. Xaldin attempted to get up, and saw another hand bear down upon him. He produced his Aero Shield and attempted to block it. The attack caused rubble to go flying into the air, and a gust of wind bursted from the attack, causing the others to recoil.

After the gust, Xaldin pushed back the hand with a gust of wind. He teleported upwards, and made a few strikes with his lances before slamming down on top of Kirito with his Jump ability. This attack only infuriated Monster Kirito, and he tried slashing him with his claws. Xaldin dodged this move, and was about to attack again when another claw came up to meet him, slashing him strongly. "I'm glad Kirito is not attacking us!" Asuna pointed out. "It is as he said before." the Beast muttered, seeing Kirito and Xaldin go at it, "Deep down, he is a Beast as well."

"Enough of this!" shouted Xaldin, getting back up from Monster Kirito's attack. He then started to produce an aura around him. The aura made him invincible as he started attacking furiously at Kirito with his lances, causing massive damage to him. He brought Kirito down to one knee as he teleported above him, and rode his lances, which were connected together, and they dove under the bridge. When he appeared, the lances took the form of a dragon, and it fired a powerful blast of wind, and shot it all across the bridge. Kirito was hit directly by it, and disappeared in a blast of smoke. Sora dodge rolled the attack while Asuna used Reflect to block the attack so as to protect Donald, Goofy and Beast. After the attack, Xaldin landed onto the bridge once more, on the far edge of the bridge away from everyone else.

Sora and Asuna were panting from narrowly avoiding that attack. They then realized that Kirito was hit by the attack. "Kirito! Are you alright?!" Sora shouted into the smoke. Xaldin snorted, and whipped up a gust of wind to reveal what was in the smoke. Kirito was there alright, back in his normal form. But he was against the wall, seemingly lifeless, covered in bruises and cuts.

"Kirito!" cried Asuna, getting to Kirito's side ahead of the others. She shook him in order to wake him up, but he wasn't reacting to it. "No…it can't be." Sora muttered, kneeling down to Kirito's side. "Kirito, wake up!" Goofy cried. "Kirito!" squawked Donald. Beast looked down at the lifeless body, terrified at what just happened. Asuna started to cry, burying her face into Kirito's body as everyone looked sorrowfully at Kirito's body. Yui flew over and landed onto Kirito's chest, putting her face down onto the part where Kirito's heart was at. "It's still beating!" she informed them, and all looked at Yui in relief, "But he still is unconscious. I'm afraid he won't be getting up anytime soon." "At…at least he's still alive." sobbed Asuna, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You'll be joining him soon enough!" taunted Xaldin, walking closer to the others, his lances dancing around him in the air. Sora, Asuna, Donald, Goofy and the Beast all looked furiously at Xaldin, getting to their feet. "You won't be getting away with this." snarled Asuna. "You're going down, big time!" Sora scowled at him. The Beast let out a powerful roar, and everyone charged at Xaldin.

The battle was furious, and although Xaldin was on his last legs, he was still fighting strong. He clashed with everyone with such equality in strength and speed. He then put on his aura again, and attacked at all of them furiously. Finally, leapt onto his flying linked lances, formed them into a dragon, and unleashed another blast of wind at them. This time, they didn't react in time, and all five of them were sent flying. Yui dug herself into Kirito's body.

When the attack ended, the five of them were sprawled all over the bridge, Goofy and Donald unconscious, and Sora, Asuna and the Beast clinging on to their last bit of stamina. "Face it, you cannot defeat me." Xaldin taunted at them, landing on the ground closest to the Beast, "Your lives are futile when dealing with me. Sora, Asuna and Kirito's main mission is to create Kingdom Hearts for us. The same goes for you, Beast, by becoming a Nobody and a Heartless. Forget about your love for Belle or the rose. Eventually, you will all be stripped of the things you love." Xaldin raised his lances upwards, aiming at the Beast. "Farewell, Beast." he said to him, "It was nice playing with your life."

Suddenly, Xaldin noticed something that he wasn't expecting; Kirito was getting to his feet again. He was breathing heavily as he stood up, and sweat dropped from his bowed face from exhaustion. Xaldin watched him, a mixture of surprise and amusement at how Kirito struggled. Then from Kirito, he stammered the words "_L-Limit._" Kirito transformed into his Limit form, with his Dual Wield skill on him. He held both his Oblivion and Sleeping Lion Keyblade in his hands, his eyes overshadowed as he bowed his head.

"You know, Gouxus was right about you." Xaldin pointed out, "You really are a stubborn one." The name of his enemy infuriated Kirito even more, and started to stand up straight, the strength coming back to him. Xaldin frowned at him, then charged in with his lances at the ready. "Why don't you just die already?!" he shouted to Kirito, thrusting his lances at Kirito. From an inch away from contact, Kirito lifted his face, and a look of fury was displayed in it. In a flash, he knocked back all the lances with his Keyblades, then thrusted them into Xaldin, causing him to skid back.

"I…won't ever die…" Kirito said with every breath, "This battle…is far from over…and you will pay…FOR SCREWING WITH MY FRIENDS' LIVES!" Kirito charged ahead at Xaldin, and he and him started an intense duel with one another, their Keyblades and lances clashing with one another. This time, it seemed that Xaldin was the one struggling to keep Kirito's powerful attacks at bay. With three swipes, Kirito managed to send Xaldin's lances flying high into the sky, leaving the owner vulnerable.

"This is it!" Kirito growled, his eyes locked onto Xaldin, "_Starburst…Stream!_" In a flash, Kirito started one of his most devastating Sword Skill. He furiously slashed at Xaldin with his Keyblades, and he was unable to block them. four…six…ten strikes. Kirito's attack kept going and going, while everyone else watched in amazement. twelve strikes. Kirito's swipes became faster and faster, his Keyblades glowing with his increased attack. Finally, he thrusted his Oblivion at Xaldin's chest, finishing his 16-hit combo.

Xaldin was sent flying backwards from Kirito's final attack. He landed onto one knee as his lances finally landed in a hexagon all around him. They started to glow as Xaldin attempted to get stand up straight, groaning in pain. The lances then became six pillars of swirling light, shooting into the sky. Xaldin made one last cry in pain before the lights disappeared, and his body deteriorated, vanishing into nothingness. It was over.

**Chapter 5: A Loving Bond**

Kirito stood there, watching as Xaldin's body disappeared into nothingness. He finally sighed in relief, removing his Limit Form and putting his Keyblade away. "Kirito!" Asuna cried, and he turned just in time for Asuna to dive into his arms. He seemed startled as he felt her body shaking as she was crying. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Yui and Beast all gathered around the two.

"A-Asuna…" Kirito stammered, slightly in pain from Asuna hugging him so hard. "You're such an idiot!" sobbed Asuna, her voice muffled in Kirito's body, "I thought you were dead! Why'd you have to make such a stupid move like that?" "What are you talking about?" Kirito asked, looking at the back of her head, "One moment, I was attempting to go into my Valor Form. The next, I find myself in pain, leaning against the side of the bridge, and I saw all of you on the floor, and Xaldin attempting to kill Beast. Please tell me I didn't do that to you guys." Asuna's head shook as she lifted her head up to Kirito's. "No. You just had us worried." Asuna replied.

"You took on an Anti Form, Kirito." Sora explained, "It was crazy! You grew big, and you had horns, claws, and a snake-like tail. What was that?" Kirito thought about the description that Sora described, and thought of the only beast that fit that part. "I turned into the Gleam Eyes?" Kirito asked, looking to Asuna, "Man, I haven't done that since my journey to save you in ALO." Asuna chuckled a bit, wiping the tears away. "Just…make sure you don't do that again, okay?" she asked Kirito, who nodded in response.

"Look!" Donald cried, pointing at the spot where Xaldin disappeared. Three more Magic Orbs were there, waiting for them. Sora, Kirito, Asuna and Yui walked over to them. "Those are more Reflect Elements." Yui described, "Your Reflect magic will be upgraded to Reflera, which will increase the range of your barrier and counter blast." I'll make sure to use this well." Asuna stated as the trio took all three orbs.

They walked off the bridge and onto the courtyard, where Belle, who still held the rose, and the servants waited for them. While Sora, Kirito and the others gathered to the servants, the Beast walked up to Belle, and the two faced each other. There was a silent pause, then Belle said, "Here. It's your's again." She gave the glass jar to the Beast.

"Belle…" the Beast started. "I know." Belle replied, looking shameful, "You want me to leave the castle." All of the group and servants looked worried at Belle and the Beast. The Beast turned to Kirito, who's face looked calm as he nodded to him, cuing into what he must say.

"What matters is…you weren't hurt by Xaldin…" the Beast told Belle, who looked back at the Beast again, "You're safe." Everyone looked pleased at what the Beast just said. "And…" the Beast continued, "I'm very grateful to you…for bringing the rose back to me. Thank you." Belle smiled in response to Beast's grateful remark as he put the rose down onto the ground next to him. "It's the least I could do." Belle replied, "You've been good to me. And you didn't have to be."

"L-Listen, Belle…" the Beast started. "Yes?" Belle asked. The Beast looked a bit flustered, and he turned to Sora and Kirito's group. "Say it!" encouraged Sora gleefully. "Just tell her." Kirito said with a smirk. "Go on!" Lumiere egged him. "Out with it already!" Yui squeaked as she sat on Asuna's shoulder. "C'mon!" squawked Donald impatiently. "You can do it." encouraged Mrs. Potts. "We have confidence." Cogsworth stated. "Don't be bashful, now." Goofy chuckled. "It's ok. Just ask." assured Asuna.

The Beast looked at all of them, then turned to Belle and took a deep breath before asking, "Belle, I'd like you to stay…with me…please?" Belle smiled broadly, the moonlight twinkling in her eyes as she stared kindly at the Beast. She raised a hand out to him, and they held one another as if they were ready to dance. "I will." Belle answered, making the Beast smile.

"Maestro, music!" Lumiere said. Then out of nowhere, music started to play ('Beauty and the Beast'), and the two begun to dance with one another. Everyone watched them dance with each other. "Funny." Asuna stated, "I don't remember you asking to dance with me, Kirito." Kirito blushed as he looked aways up into the sky. "I'm…not the best dancer." Kirito said honestly. "Well, I should probably teach you." Asuna stated as she grabbed Kirito's hand and arm, taking the same position as Belle and Beast, "If the Beast can do it, so can you." Kirito then looked somewhat nervous at her sudden movement onto him, but he sighed deeply, and smiled at her as she begun leading him into a dance with the music as well. Yui flew around them as they danced, leaving a glittering trail of light as she did so.

"Hey, did you see the look on Belle's face when she grabbed that rose?" Sora asked Donald and Goofy. "Uh-huh." Donald answered. "Yep, she sure was havin' fun, all right." Goofy chuckled. "She is rather unique, isn't she?" Lumiere said amusingly. "Always ready for a little adventure." Mrs. Potts added. "The two of them do seem made for each other." Cogsworth stated. "Yeah, they sure do!" Sora agreed, looking to Beast and Belle, then to Asuna and Kirito, "Both of them!" The team watched happily as they saw the two couples dance with each other.

_This moment right now, with Asuna… _Kirito thought as he twirled Asuna, _I can't help but enjoy it_. The two pairs of eyes met, and it seemed like time stood still as they stared at one another, smiling. The stars seemed to twinkle in both Asuna and Kirito's eyes. This was their very first dance they had ever had together, and it was something that Kirito nor Asuna would ever forget.

**Well that was an interesting episode, wouldn't you say? I mean, Kirito's Anti Form is his Gleam Eyes form, and it was an idea that came to mind. Then we go into Kirito using his famous 'Starburst Stream' attack. And finally into Kirito and Asuna's first dance. I found that a touching moment to me. Hope you guys liked it.**

**Here's how the Poll stands right now since it is a blind poll: Legend of Zelda is in the lead by one point, and Sonic X and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon are right behind it, and third place is Digimon. If you hadn't voted yet, don't let your favorites of that list be taken away! As for the others, I'm surprised History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is so far behind. Honestly, I thought of it to be a dimensional version of Olympus Coliseum. Ryozanpaku could act like the Coliseum, so I don't know why people don't see it that way. Oh, well. Let's see what happens.**

**Speaking of which, we're heading back to Olympus again, where the Hades Cup is about to take place. What will come about in it? And when will Aincrad make an appearance. Find out next time! Be patient for next episode and leave a comment. Thanks for the 15,000 views, people!**


	24. Ep 19: The Hades Cup! Auron's Heart!

**This is it, folks! The next episode is in! There will be surprises in this story, and also my added twist as to how Hades is finished. Enjoy!**

**By the way, on my Deviant Arts link, I have the first SAK Logo on my pictures. Take a look!**

**Prologue**

Kirito and Asuna were back to back, facing a horde of Heartless that surrounded them. Kirito and Asuna were both in their Limit Forms, their Keyblades raised. They looked to each other, then charged at either side. They took down one Heartless after another, swinging their Keyblades at them as they came. However, they kept popping up again whenever one was destroyed.

Kirito was starting to breath heavily from fighting them so hard after a while. He looked all around him, and it seemed like there hadn't been a change in the amount of Heartless. He then heard someone call out his name, and he turned to see Klein fighting against the Heartless from a distance. Kirito called out to his friend, hoping he would answer. Klein looked up for only a short second to see Kirito before he got knocked to the floor by a Heartless. Before Kirito had time to speak, Heartless surrounded Klein on the floor, covering him. He fought his way over to him, trying his best to help him out.

When he got to him, he saw Klein laying there on the floor, and suddenly a heart floated out of his body, and then Klein faded into darkness, reappearing as a Heartless Shadow. Kirito looked frightfully at his comrade's form, backing away from him. He turned and saw Agil, Lisbeth and Silica standing there, confronted by the Heartless, too. "Guys! Run!" Kirito shouted to them, but it was too late. The Heartless surrounded them, consuming them, and their three hearts disappeared to reveal themselves as their Heartless.

Kirito was panicked as he saw his friends all waddling forward, all Heartless. He heard a cry of pain from behind, and he turned to see Asuna flying in the air, hit by an attack from behind. Kirito shouted out to her, completely frightened. Asuna turned her head over to Kirito, and in a flash moment, Sachi appeared in Asuna's position before Asuna came back. She barely touched the floor before her body deteriorated and her heart floated up into the air, and it became Asuna's Heartless.

Kirito was frozen in panic. All of the other Heartless disappeared. All were left were all his friends and loved one's Heartless, moving in from all around him. Kirito refused to fight back at his friends, refraining from defending himself. All Heartless leaped in unison onto Kirito. Kirito closed his eyes.

"Kirito…Kirito!" Asuna's voice was calling out to him, and Kirito opened his eyes. He was inside the Gummi ship again, slouching in his seat. Asuna, Sora, Donald, Goofy and Yui were all around him, a worried look on their faces. Kirito noticed he was drenched with sweat as he sat up. "You ok, Kirito?" Sora asked as Kirito sat up in his seat. "Yeah." gasped Kirito, the images of where he was at swimming in his mind, "Just…just a really bad dream." He wiped the sweat from his forehead as the others looked at him, concern.

"Gawrsh, it must have been a bad." Goofy stated. "You were struggling in your sleep." Asuna explained, "You had a look of fear on your face." Kirito looked to all of his friends, then looked down, thinking about what to say. "What was the dream about?" Donald asked. "Heartless." Kirito answered, "Heartless…and my friends back home." Asuna's eyes widened, realizing that he must have been having a dream like the ones he described a long while back.

Kirito looked to Asuna, then to the others, and faked a smile as he said, "At least the nightmare's over." "Yeah, that's all that matters." Sora replied in a carefree way, "Besides, we're nearing Hercules' world." "That's true." said Kirito, "If I started to panic now, Phil would be chewing me out." Everybody else went back to their seats. Asuna turned to look at Kirito, who had his head bowed, thinking about what just happened.

_(Cue Opening song)_

**Chapter 1: Enter the Hades Cup**

They arrived at Hercules's world, and they set the coordinates to go down. Asuna was still concern with Kirito after he had that bad dream. Yui activated the transporter, and they teleported down. When they arrived, they found themselves in the Underworld again, near the door towards the world above. Off across the eerie waters laid a new structure that wasn't there before. It was a coliseum of sorts, and it had skull-like decorations all around it, and movie spotlights that shined into the sky. There were boats floating on the waters closest to them. Standing at the door was Meg and Hercules, who still looked the same as how they left him.

They walked up to the two as Hercules noticed them coming. "Hey." he waved to them. "Herc!" Sora addressed as Hercules came down the last steps, "You feeling any better?" Hercules sighed. "Well…same routine." Meg answered for him, "Wonderboy here thinks his hero days are over. And Phil thinks it's all in his head." Kirito was kind of leaning towards where Phil was getting at, but not so bluntly.

"Gawrsh, Herc. We know you're a hero!" Goofy assured him. "That's right…Blunderboy." taunted an ominous voice, "How can you mope on a momentous day like today?" Hades appeared in a puff of smoke near the docks. "The Underdrome's back, and you are gonna fill the stands." Hades told Hercules and the others as he walked forward, "After all, your fans won't settle for anything less than a certified hero. I mean, if you're not up to it, you could always just, I dunno, LOSE?" "I'd bet you like that!" Sora sneered at Hades. "You'd better not try any funny stuff to get your way, Hades." growled Asuna

"Excuse me? Hey, I'm not a selfish guy." Hades replied to Sora's comment, "I'm not like those high and mighty snobs up on Olympus. I stand for the masses! And have I got a massive idea!" He turned around to nobody as he shouted, "The games, ladies and gentlemen…are back! Yours truly, Hades, the one and only Lord of the Dead, brings you the ultimate games, to celebrate the re-opening of the ultimate coliseum! We'll finally answer the age-old question: Who deserves the title 'Ultimate Hero'? These games are gonna settle the debate once and for all! The winner reigns supreme. Of what? You guessed it! The Hades Cup!"

He turned back to the others as he continued, "And I assure you that the 'Great' Hercules will be there. Otherwise…" he looked directly at Meg, and Hercules shielded her with his hand, "You'll never see your girlfriend again." Hades ended, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Lowlife!" growled Sora. "Bastard!" Kirito sneered. "Heh, you're too kind, kid." Hades voice rang out.

"Guess we should sign up for the tournament." Hercules sighed. Kirito wasn't worried. In fact, this shrugged off all his worries. When Aincrad was reborn with ALO, tournaments started happening in the game. Players now took part in them since people didn't die in the real world this time. Asuna and Kirito took part in the tournaments plenty of times, both in tag team and one-on-one. Asuna and Kirito were unstoppable in the tag team tournaments, and most of the time, Asuna and Kirito would eventually face each other in the final round of one-on-one battles. Kirito and Asuna were pretty much equals in battle, so either Kirito would win at times or Asuna.

They went over to the two devils, Pain and Panic, who were waiting for them at the docks. "I'm handling registration for the Hades Cup." Pain explained, "Don't go to Panic for that one!" "Yeah, it's a great way to spend some time." Panic stated. The team looked at the instructions for the tournament. "So it's a team tournament." Sora stated as he looked down the list, "Guess that means we can work together with Hercules in this tournament. Any complaints?" All of the others shook their heads. They signed their names up for their team, and entered in the tournament.

"The team walked over to the tournament graph near them and looked at the roster they were in. "Who do we face first?" Hercules asked. "Let's see…" muttered Sora, etching his finger across the board to se where they were. "It's 'Spin Strike'." Yui answered, looking at the spot where their team name was at. "Look! Auron's in the tournament, too!" Donald pointed out. Sure enough, on the other half of the board, Auron's name was listed as one of the competitors. "Uh-oh! We might have to fight him in the finals!" Goofy moaned. "Sounds like a great challenge to me." Kirito stated, remembering how well Auron fought last time.

"I bet he's a real hero, huh?" Hercules sighed. "He did say to us that he was no hero." Asuna remembered. "Well, I don't think he's a bad guy…" said Sora, turning to Hercules, "But you're the only hero around here, Hercules. You know that." "Maybe before…" Hercules started, "Now I'm just a wash-" "Stop it!" shouted Sora, Asuna and Donald in unison. "Let's get into the coliseum." Kirito told the others, "That should get you back to your normal self, Herc." He led the team to the boats, and they sailed to the coliseum for their first match.

The Spin Strike team was a simple group of Heartless, composed of Tornado Steps, Driller Moles and a Morning Star. The team went to work on the group. Hercules was still in a slump, so he wasn't fighting as strongly as he was before. He only made a couple of attacks during the whole fight. It was mostly thanks to the others that they succeeded in defeating the opponents.

"How'd it go out there, champ?" Sora asked encouragingly. "I'm just not what I used to be." Hercules answered depressingly, "Sorry to drag you down, guys." "Enough with it already." muttered Kirito as he walked back to the boats, "Look, we need you in the semifinals, so buck up and don't give in!" The team walked to the boats, and went back to the shore where the tournament graph had been updated.

"We're at the semifinals…" Goofy noticed. "And here's the next opponent for you guys." Yui explained, "They're called 'Bad Alert'!" "Are they any good?" Hercules asked her. "Well, they made it to the semifinals as well…" Asuna stated. "It sounds like they're 'bad'…but we can't chicken out now!" Sora declared. Everybody got themselves prepared, then they got into the boat, and sailed to the arena again.

The opponents this time were composed of a bunch of Minute Bombs, a Crescendo, and a Crimson Jazz. Sora wasted no time, and went into his Valor Form to take out all the Minute Bombs before they exploded while Kirito joined with him, leaving Asuna, Donald, Goofy and Hercules to take out the other Heartless. Hercules got hit hard by the Crimson Jazz, but Asuna took this opportunity to take it out in no time flat. They defeated the Bad Alert team.

"We made it to the finals!" cheered Sora. "That wasn't too hard." Kirito said, loosening his weapon shoulder. "If we win, we'll all be heroes!" squawked Donald. _In this world, anyway. _Asuna thought to herself. "Oh, that's why you're so happy." Goofy chuckled. "We can't stay junior heroes forever, you know." Sora stated. Kirito rolled his eyes at what he was demoting himself as. To him, Kirito believed that they were already full-fledge heroes. "I'll try not to mess things up." Hercules sighed to them as he sat on the floor. "Enough already…" sighed Asuna, shaking her head at Herc's lack of confidence.

"Look. Over there." Yui squeaked, pointing to one side of coliseum. They turned to see Auron standing there, his back turned to them. "He's our final opponent, right?" Hercules asked, getting to his feet again. "Auron!" Sora called out. A faint dark aura surrounded Auron for a second as he turned around, observing the group. Kirito felt something was off about him. It was confirmed with what he said next. "And you are?" he asked the group. Everyone looked quite confused at this statement. Did Auron forget who they were?

"I must defeat you and atone for my crimes." Auron stated in a stern tone. Auron then turned around, and left the coliseum. "Hey!" Sora called out, but to no response. "What was that all about?" he thought out loud. "Somethings off about him." Kirito stated. "Let's follow him." Asuna suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement, and they dashed off to chase after him.

**Chapter 2: Auron Under Control**

When the team got back to the shore, they noticed Auron walking off to the Cave of the Dead towards Hades' Chamber. He opened the door to it, and walked through. Sora led the group into following him through the door, with Hercules staying behind to rest with Meg. Even Phil and Pegasus managed to come down to meet with them. They said their greetings, and took off after Auron.

When they got through the door, Sora was the first to notice from a distance that Auron was standing right in front of Hades. He flattened himself against the wall, and beckoned Kirito and Asuna to do the same. Donald almost made his presence known had Sora not dragged him to the side. The group watched and listened to Auron and Hades' conversation.

"Okay, let's review." they heard Hades start, "State your crime, prisoner." "I exist." Auron replied monotonously, "That is my crime. It is…inexcusable." "Ooh, good, very good." said Hades. "What's wrong with Auron?" Sora asked, "He's never acted that way before." "I agree." Kirito acknowledged, "Somethings up about this." "Shh! I can't hear them." whispered Asuna to the boys.

"Okay, so you made one lousy mistake; you exist." said an amused Hades, "But hey, I'm a forgiving guy. You keep your end of our little deal, and I'm willing to overlook a transgression or two." "I understand." replied Auron, "Defeat Hercules." "And his meddling friends." Hades added to Auron's instructions. "What? No, only Hercules." retorted Auron. It seemed like a part of him still cared for Sora, Kirito and the others.

"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten who's in charge?" Hades questioned Auron. He then placed a hand on Auron's shoulder, and fiery sparks seemed to swirl around that hand, along with the aura that surrounded Auron before. This caused pain to Auron, both physically and, in some odd way, mentally. In the other hand, Hades pulled out a miniaturized statue of Auron, and all the fiery sparks and aura seemed to go from Auron into that statue.

"Hercules and the other five. Are we clear?" Hades asked Auron. "We're clear, Hades." groaned Auron. "Lord Hades." Hades corrected him, the aura glowing brighter as he said it. "Lord Hades…" gasped Auron. "Good." Hades replied, stopping the flow of energy from Auron, "Now go." Auron turned around and left, and Hades watched him leave with the Auron statue at hand.

The team hid themselves as Auron passed them by so as not to get spotted. "So that's how he's controlling Auron!" Sora noticed. "That explains why he's been acting strange." Asuna whispered, looking towards Hades as he walked off, "'Not a selfish guy'. Yeah right!" "What a jerk!" squawked Donald. "More that likely he would take that as a compliment." Kirito told Donald. "I can't stand seeing Auron do that lowlife's bidding…" Sora muttered, "We've got to help him!" "Let's try talking to him." Yui suggested, "We could probably figure something out from there." As Auron walked by, Sora attempted to talk to him, but Auron was ignorant, and walked through the door out of the caves. "C'mon, let's go after him!" Sora declared to the others, and they chased after Auron.

They rushed through the door, and saw Auron get into one of the boats with Pain and Panic. They tried to to catch up. but Auron was already sailing away. They all watched the boat sail away, Pain and Panic waving at them in a taunting manner. "Were too late." Asuna sighed. Sora tried to say something, then closed his mouth, looking worried. Kirito had a concerned look on his face, wondering what to do next.

"What's wrong, guys?" Hercules asked, walking up to them. "Auron's in trouble!" Sora answered, "It's like Hades brainwashed him!" "It looked like he was controlling him using a statue figure." Kirito added, "I'm not sure how, but it is stopping him from remembering us." "You know something? That sounds kinda familiar…" Hercules said to them, "Hades may be using the statue to hold Auron's free will hostage." "He can do that?" Asuna asked, turning to Kirito. Seeing as Hades was the Lord of the Dead, it did seem possible.

"What do we do?" Donald asked. "See if you can find that statue." Hercules answered, "It's gotta be somewhere in the Underworld." "And what, break it?" Kirito asked. "No. Bring it to Auron." Hercules answered, "Give it to Auron, and that will release his free will." "Right. We're on it!" Sora replied.

Then out of nowhere, Hades was right next to Sora and Asuna, startling everyone. "Tell me you're not thinking of leaving." he asked the group, "You've got a match coming up." The team wondered what they should do, but Hercules and Kirito each came up with different answers. "I'll fight Auron in the final. One on one." Hercules declared. "Oh, you will?" questioned Hades.

"And how about for an exhibition match, I enter the Pain and Panic Cup." Kirito suggested, "No breaks, just a straight on fight to the finish, all on my own." "Kirito, no!" Asuna gasped, leading the team in astonishment from what they were asking. "Interesting." Hades said, looking at both Hercules and Kirito. He then turned around and started to think about their suggestions.

"Kirito, what are you thinking?!" Asuna asked, flabbergasted. "I'm buying you guys some time." Kirito asked, "I bet that's what Hercules was thinking, too." He turned to Herc, who nodded in agreement. "Are you sure you don't need backup?" Sora asked him. "I have Yui." Kirito answered as Yui popped out of her pocket, "That's plenty enough. Don't worry, I didn't survive SAO for two years out of sheer luck." "Just hurry back." Hercules told them, "I know you can do it!" The other four looked concern but they understood what is needed here.

"Congratulations!" Hades said, stopping the conversation, "You've got a deal." "Thanks." Hercules answered. "You're a swell guy." Kirito said sarcastically. "On one condition!" Hades added, "You, Keyboy, along with the other two Keybladers and their trusty friends have to meet the winner in one final clash, whaddya say?" "Sounds reasonable." lied Kirito. "That'll drive the crowd wild…" Hercules answered. "It'd better." Hades said as the boat came in, "I promised the crowd the event of their afterlives." Kirito turned around and kissed Asuna on the cheek. "Wish me luck." he whispered to her before he, Hades and Hercules all entered the boat. The team watched as they sailed away to the coliseum. "Heh-heh, sucker!" taunted Hades, "You know for me, the rest is smooth sailing."

The team watched them disappear. "Good luck, Kirito." Asuna said, a look of worry on her face. "Let's go get that statue." Sora declared. "Start with Hades' Chamber." Meg suggested, leading Phil and Pegasus over to them, "I'm sure that's where he is keeping it." "On it!" Sora answered, and he led the team onward, Asuna pausing to look back at the coliseum before catching up with the others.

**Chapter 3: A Tournament of Time**

Kirito got into the arena, where the Pain and Panic Cup was about to take place. He looked all around, and noticed Hercules on the sidelines, watching him. "Papa, are you sure about this?" Yui asked, flying close to Kirito's shoulder. "It's too late to back off now." Kirito answered, whipping his Oblivion out, "Besides, I'm sure we'll be fine." He looked up and noticed Hades sitting there on his special seat in the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Ghost and ghouls alike!" announced Hades, "There has been a change of plans to the schedule of our tournament. First of all, the team that was joining your 'hero', Hercules, has dropped out of his team. It is now a battle between him and Auron, only one will become victorious. As for the others, they will challenge the winner of the match to see who will reign supreme! Though one of them plans to display himself in the Pain and Panic Cup. What's this Keyblader's name? Eh…" he looked down at Pain and whispered, "What's this brat's name again?" "Kirito, sir." Pain answered, looking down the list. "Right, Kirito!" Hades answered, "Will he succeed in the battle he is about to face on his own, or will he be joining you as part of the dead?!"

"Get real." Kirito muttered under his breath as Heartless started to pop up in front of him. "For the Pain and Panic Cup, the rules are simple." Hades explained, "There are ten matches in total. You can't use those silly Drive Forms of yours. Get as many points as possible, and see if you can survive. Let the match begin!" There was a bell that rung somewhere, and Kirito fixed his eyes onto his opponents. "Let's go." Kirito stated, and he charged in.

Meanwhile, Sora and Asuna were leading the team through the passageway in the Cave of the Dead. There were plenty of Heartless that kept getting in their way as they ran through. They had to keep stopping in order to take on the horde that impeded their path. "You worried about Kirito?" Sora asked Asuna. "Somewhat." she answered, slicing down a Neoshadow, "But I'm sure he knows what he's doing. He's I just hope he's strong enough to defeat whatever adversary comes his way while buying us some time." Sora smiled and nodded, having hope for Kirito's success. It took several minutes just to get to the Inner Chamber. Once they rested for a second, they proceeded forward.

Back in the Pain and Panic Cup, Kirito stood there, having just endured nine of the ten matches. They were fairly easy, even without his friends or Drive Forms. They took him about thirty seconds each, and the eighth match literally did take thirty seconds, seeing as he had to endure for that long. "All right, who's my next opponent?" Kirito asked himself as he waited for the next battle. A burst of light appeared, then two figures appeared in front of him, ones Kirito did not expect; Leon and Yuffie!

"Wait, what are you guys doing here?" Kirito asked, looking at them both surprised. "Simple. We entered in as the final matchup in this Cup." Leon answered, whipping out his Gunblade, "Don't hold back. If you defeat us, we'll just be sent back to Hollow Bastion." "Better not make it easy for us." Yuffie taunted to him as she whipped out her shuriken. Kirito smiled as he held his Keyblade at the ready, and the match begun.

Kirito attempted to attack Yuffie first, but she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Leon came from the side to attack Kirito, but he spun around and blocked his Gunblade. Kirito was slightly worn from the continuous battles, but he was strong enough to take them both on. Yuffie tossed a couple of small metal stars at Kirito, who reacted by jumping backwards. He then fired a volley of Blizzara attacks at Leon, who failed to block them. Kirito turned and directed a Thundara attack at Yuffie, damaging her.

As the smoke rose over Yuffie from the attack, Kirito made a charge for her. Just as he got close, the smoke cleared to reveal Yuffie powering up her magic power onto her large shuriken, which glowed green with the energy. She tossed it around herself, causing Kirito to have no choice but to endure it with his Keyblade. Sparks emanated between Kirito's Oblivion and Yuffie's magic enhanced shuriken. As Kirito struggled to keep his ground, Leon took aim at Kirito, and fired a Firaga blast at him. Kirito noticed it too late, and he was blown from the attack. He skidded to a halt near the edge of the stadium.

Hades looked eagerly down at the match as Kirito shakily got up. Leon and Yuffie walked in closer to him, ready to strike once more. Kirito panted a couple times, then looked up, smirking. Leon and Yuffie were taken aback at his attitude. _Time I show them how I do things in SAO! _Kirito thought to himself.

He took one step, then he jumped into a Sonic Leap Sword Skill straight at Yuffie, who was unable to keep up with the sudden attack. Kirito placed his powerful slash at Yuffie, knocking her back to the other end of the arena. Leon was surprised by this new move, but he then charged at Kirito, attempting to slash him. Kirito ducked under his horizontal slash, then went into his Horizonal Square Sword Skill, slicing Leon on all four sides before he was able to react. The Sword Skill took it's affect, and Leon doubled over in pain.

Kirito leapt backwards as Yuffie and Leon struggled to get up again. Leon fired another Firaga spell at Kirito, who sliced it with his Oblivion. Yuffie used this distraction to teleport right behind Kirito, ready to strike. "You can't fool me twice!" Kirito shouted, whipping around and doing an uppercut slash, knocking away Yuffie's shuriken and made her hit the floor hard. Kirito turned around again and charged at Leon, and the two clashed swords. They dueled for only ten seconds before Kirito spotted an opening, knocking Leon back.

Yuffie and Leon both charged at Kirito, ready to double team him. Kirito was charging up for his next attack. One they got close, Kirito unleashed his Explosion move all around him, causing both Yuffie and Leon considerable damage. The two fell to the floor, and there they fell, unable to get back up again. Leon squinted up at Kirito, who looked back at him with a calm expression. Leon smirked, and both he and Yuffie disappeared in a flash of light.

"It's over!" Hades cried, shouting over the ghoulish cheers of the crowd, "And the winner of this match is… that Keyblade brat there. Take your trophy and prizes, and get lost, okay?" Pain and Panic walked forward, holding the trophy in their spindling hands. With it also contained a Protect Belt and a Serenity Stone. Kirito took the trophy with ease and raised it up high, showing it to everyone. He felt pretty proud at the moment. It was the best thing ever to wind this challenge.

As he walked to the boats again, he whispered, "Hey, Yui. How much time did that take?" "About nine minutes." Yui replied, accumulating the time he took in the cup. _Nine minutes, huh?_ thought Kirito, _That's not a whole lot of time. I hope Asuna, Sora and the others can make it back soon._ He passed by Hercules as he entered the arena. "Good job out there." he said to Kirito. "You do just as well." Kirito replied, "Don't worry. I'll bail you out when I need to." Hercules nodded and they continued their individual paths. Kirito joined up with Phil and Meg, watching as Hercules and Auron were about to square off. _Hurry up, guys._ Kirito thought to himself, hearing the sound of the battle beginning.

In the Valley of the Dead, Sora, Asuna, Donald and Goofy were fighting against a bunch of Minute Bomb Heartless. They were trying their best to take them out as quickly as they could. Asuna went into her Wisdom Form in order to take them out quicker. "Hurry! To Hades Chamber!" Sora declared, and he led the team up the rest of the path, taking out a few Driller Moles, then finally reaching the chambers.

When they got up there, they noticed the table in the middle of the room. On the part closest to them was Auron's statue. "Got it!" Sora stated, and he made a grab for it. The moment he touched it, he felt a surge of energy flow through and out of his body. "Sora!" Asuna shouted, and she made to pull him off, but instead got added to the flow of energy. Goofy touched Asuna, and Donald touched Goofy, and all four of them were feeling the same electrical-like energy surge through them. "What's going on?!" squawked Donald, shaking from the energy.

Suddenly, voices could be heard in all their heads, though it seemed to flow throughout the room. "It is not too late! Let us turn back!" "Yes, but I…I cannot accept it." "Where is the sense in all this?" "But…there must be another way!" "Your deaths will mean nothing!" "You must live!" The jumbled up voices seem to flow through their mind, along with memories that weren't theirs. Memories that belong to Auron.

Finally, the flow stopped, and everything was calm. "Wha-?" Asuna said, shaking her head, "What in the world was that?" "I get it." Sora answered, looking at the statue, "This is what belongs in Auron's heart." "Gawrsh, he musta had a pretty rough life." Goofy assumed. "Yeah…but in the end, that's really what made him stronger." Sora ended. "And I thought Kirito and I had a rough life." Asuna muttered, thinking about their times in the pass, "Auron dealt with a lot more troublesome things." "Let's give it back!" Donald declared.

Suddenly, the team detected something was wrong. They whipped out their weapons and found themselves surrounded by… "Nobodies?" Sora asked, looking around, "Where did they come from?" "The Organization musta sent them." Asuna assumed, "Lets take them out!" The team dispersed to fight against the horde.

There were nothing but Dusks, but they came in numbers. The team had to fight against several dozens of them. Sora went into his Valor Form to take them on while Asuna was still in her Wisdom Form. With the combination of Sora and Goofy's close range fighting and Asuna and Donald's magic attacks, they were taking them out swiftly and surely. This did seem to improve their forms during the fight, and they were able to take them out in about three minutes.

Just as they thought they were done, more Dusks appeared through the window holes, and the group backed away from them as they entered in. "Hey, go away!" Donald squawked at them. The Nobodies walked forward, and it looked like they had to fight some more. Just as they were prepared, however, Rabid Dog Heartless appeared out of nowhere, and started attacking the Nobodies. "Well, this is unorthodox." Asuna stated, seeing their two enemies fight it out. "Not what I had in mind, but I'll take it!" said Sora. "We'd better skedaddle!" Goofy told the others, and they ran off with the statue at hand.

**Chapter 4: Hades vs. the Heroes**

Kirito was getting pretty worried for his friends, so he decided to wait at the entrance. He sailed back to the entrance, and waited for his friends to come back. He was leaning on a stalagmite, resting. The Pain and Panic Cup did wear him out.

It had only been ten minutes since he waited when the doors to the Caves of the Dead open up. Kirito looked up and saw, to his relief, Sora, Asuna, Donald and Goofy all running through the door towards him. "There you guys are." Kirito sighed, walking towards them. "You ok, Kirito?" Asuna asked him. Kirito nodded, and he showed them the trophy he won, along with his spoils. "Way to go!" Sora cheered, punching the air. "But I only postponed Herc's battle for nine minutes since you left." Kirito explained, "The battle was pretty easy. Do you have the statue?" Sora showed Kirito the statue. "Good. Let's get moving." Kirito told them, and they walked to the boats. They sailed over, and Kirito gave Sora the Protect Belt for him to use. He already had his Gaia Belt, so he didn't need another one.

In the coliseum, the fight against Hercules and Auron continued. Hercules dodged a swipe from Auron's sword, only to find himself on the edge of the arena. Auron made a downward slash onto Hercules, but he grabbed the blade part, trying to fend him off. In his weak condition, the strength of Auron brought Hercules down do his knee. "Now! Finish him!" Hades shouted to Auron. Hercules struggled to not be both cut by Auron nor knocked over the edge, but it looked like Auron was gonna win this fight.

"Auron, no!" Sora shouted. Hades glared as he saw the five heroes enter the sidelines, right next to Phil and Meg. "Hey, Auron! This belongs to you!" Asuna shouted as Sora held the Auron statue aloft. Sora tossed the statue to Auron. The moment it flew right above him, it vanished, and a sparkling of lights fell down onto Auron. He started to glow with the lights as his memories came back to him again. He realized what he was doing, and stopped his struggle with Hercules, dropping his sword to the side as Hercules knelt there, worn out.

Auron stood up, his sword at hand, and turned to the team. "Sora. Kirito. Asuna. Donald. Goofy." "Auron!" cheered the team. Yui made a backflip as she flew out of Kirito's pocket, happy to see Auron back to normal. "Why those little…" growled Hades, burning red in fury, then he calmed down again as he stood up, "Ugh, prisoner! What happened to our mutual agreement? I can give you a clean slate, but you gotta work with me." Sora led the team over to Hercules and Auron's side in the arena. "Maybe you didn't hear me." Auron replied, turning to Hades, "This is my story, and you're not part of it."

Hades burned red in fury again, only this time, he was loosing it. A pillar of fire rose to the ceiling as he disappeared within it. He reappeared in a blast of fire and smoke in front of the team. "That's it!" he yelled, "This game is over. I've played by the rules so far." Kirito snorted in protest. "Okay, I confess!" Hades continued, "I was hoping Wonderboy would lose, but it was still a fair fight. C'mon, is that really so wrong?" "Really? A fair fight?" mocked Sora as Donald, Goofy and Yui chuckled while Asuna and Kirito rolled their eyes in amusement.

"Laugh, laugh, laugh all you want!" Hades taunted, making a mock laugh of his own, "Because the laughing is about to stop. Wanna know why? Because now we're gonna play by my rules." He snapped his finger, and a door behind him opened, revealing a swirling pool of green mist like the stuff under the Valley of the Dead, the substance that dead spirits were in. Meg screamed and the group turned to see her disappear from Phil's side. They turned back to the open door and saw Hades standing next to the captured Meg, who was floating over the hole by cloudy restraints.

"Meg!" Hercules cried. "Hercules!" Meg called back as she was hovering over the hole. "Hey, I warned you right at the get-go." Hades told him, "You don't compete, you lose the girl." He waved his hand, and Meg was released from her restraints, and she fell into the abyss. "No!" Hercules shouted, jumping over next to Hades and looking down the hole, "Meg! Hang on!" And with one shockingly leap, he dove into the hole after her. "What happens if he goes in there?" Asuna asked, looking to the other. Kirito was afraid to find out.

"Looks like Wonderboy has dropped out of the standings." Hades stated as the door behind him closed. Everybody angrily looked at Hades. "Well, you've still got us to deal with!" Sora warned him. "It's time we settle this Hades!" Kirito growled as Yui flew right next to Kirito's side, angrily looking at the Lord of the Dead. Hades disappeared from his spot as everybody pulled their weapons out, ready to fight him. He appeared right behind them, looking amused. "Oh, yeah. This is gonna be good." he muttered as he burned red again.

Sora, Kirito, Goofy and Auron went in for a frontal assault while Asuna and Donald readied their magic from afar. The four boys struck Hades, but he didn't take any damage. He swung a fiery fist at the group, and they were knocked back from him. Asuna and Donald cast their ice magic attacks, but that didn't have any affect either. Hades shot a fireball at the two of them. and they dodged to the sides to avoid it. The six gathered together as Hades went back to his blue self, fingering his ear in sarcasm, and laughed maniacally.

"We can't win." moaned Sora. "I don't get it." Asuna muttered, "We have the power of the Olympus Stone. Why aren't our attacks doing anything to him?" "Because it's HIS Underworld." Auron answered. "Gee, then how do we beat him?" Goofy asked. Kirito gritted his teeth, unable to figure out a solution. Yui wasn't able to come up with an answer either.

Hades looked amusingly at the crew's loss of understanding for a second, then their was sound from behind him. He turned, and everyone saw that the door had opened once more. "I think a true hero should be able to help." said a heroic voice. Hades looked behind him, and was flabbergasted. Everybody else was happy. There stood Hercules, holding Meg in his arms as he was glowing a golden aura, and with Pegasus right next to him. "But..You…" sputtered Hades, "This…this is impossible. You-you can't be alive! You'd have to be a…" "…A god?" Pain and Panic asked from a distance.

"I owe you one, Hades." Hercules said to the infuriated Hades, "I didn't hesitate to give my life for Meg's. And then, I remembered: A true hero is measured by the strength of his heart." He lowered Meg to her feet, and waved to his friends as the five heroes stood next to him. "I'll never forget that again." Hercules finished. "Just no more crazy stunts." Sora said with a grin. "People always do crazy things when they're in love." Hercules said to the trio. "Don't I know." said Asuna, looking to Kirito, who rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. The group looked to each other, and laughed in amusement.

"What's is so funny, you imbeciles!" roared Hades as Pegasus took off with Meg, "How dare you get a happy ending! How DARE you!" He started to burn red once more. "Oh, we dare." Kirito retorted, everybody raising their weapons. This time, things were gonna go their way in this fight.

"Hercules!" squeaked Yui, "Conjure up a ball of that aura you have. If we hit Hades with it, that will make him vulnerable for some time." Hercules did as he was told, and Sora smacked the aura sphere at Hades. It hit him hard, and it made him vulnerable as he turned blue. Kirito, Asuna and Auron charged in, and they started stabbing and slashing at Hades, dealing some defying damage to him. He wasn't gonna give up that easily, cause he retaliated with fire punches, causing the two to back off as he teleported again. He appeared near Sora, Donald and Goofy, and slugged them with a fury of fiery fists. Donald and Goofy were knocked back, but Sora recovered in the air, turning around and slamming him with his Keyblade.

He charged at Hades again, but Hades produced a fiery pillar again, burning Sora in the process. Hades reappeared in his red, invincible form again. Sora got up, about to find another one of Hercules' aura spheres, when two passed him, hitting Hades. He turned to see Kirito and Asuna with their Keyblades raised from hitting the spheres. The team gathered together and charged at Hades once more.

For most of the battle, it was pretty much like this. While Hades teleported, swung fists and fireballs at the group, they retaliated with fighting just as hard. If Hades used another fiery pillar to make himself invincible, either Sora, Kirito or Asuna went to slapshot one of Hercules' aura spheres at him, making him vulnerable.

Hades then started to get really irritated, and produced a sun-like fireball over the arena. It then spat out fire all across the arena, burning anyone it touched. Asuna used her Reflera magic to repel the attack, Sora used his powers mixed with Hercules' powers to form a barrier to protect him, and Kirito pretty much sliced his way through the flames like he did with Leon's Firaga. Everyone else had to fend for themselves. Once the attack was done with, Sora ran up to the injured Auron and used Cura, healing him. "You ok, Auron?" he asked as Auron got up. "I'm fine." he responded indifferently. "Then let's attack Hades together!" Sora suggested, and the two went into their Limit Break.

They slashed at Hades, displaying sword spins and sword dives onto Hades. They kept alternating each move they did. Hades was about to avoid them, but Kirito slammed an aura sphere at him, stunning him. Sora and Auron two slammed the hilts of their weapons together, and started to spin them rapidly, producing a large cyclone around them that sucked Hades into hit, causing him to spin around, getting damaged by the attack until he was released from it.

They continued to overwhelm Hades, striking him with everything they got. Asuna used her Wisdom Form again, Kirito went into Valor Form, and Sora went into Master Form. Kirito fired things off with hitting a double dose of Hercules aura spheres, followed by a flurry of strikes from his Oblivion and Rumbling Rose. Asuna went next by firing a volley of homing Blizzara attacks at Hades, damaging him from a distance. Sora then ended by diving in with a storm of Thundara attacks, followed by a full-scale physical assault, not giving Hades any time to recover, ending with a powerful cross-slash.

Hades stood there, clutching himself, looking fearfully at the group. Sora made an attempt to strike him again, but Hades teleported in a puff of smoke, appearing in front of the the swirling green abyss. He slowly started to back away from them. "It's…not over…yet…" he moaned in pain as he backed off. He then started to stumble as he was on the edge of the hole. Yui flew over as he struggled to not fall. "Bye-bye, bad guy." Yui said cheerfully, and she blew on his head. Not only did she put out his flaming hair, but she also caused him to fall back, screaming as he fell into the abyss below.

"Nice one, Yui!" cheered Asuna. "That's our daughter." Kirito chuckled. Yui turned to the others from a distance, and gave a thumbs up. Everybody stood there, happily enjoying the moment. They had just defeated the Lord of the Dead.

**Chapter 5: Surprises in the Skies**

The team arrived back at the Underworld entrance again. While Hercules and Phil went up above to check on Meg and Pegasus, the rest of the team stood there with Auron. "What'cha gonna do now?" Donald asked. "I lived my life defending others." Auron answered, "But now…there's no one left to protect. Maybe…it's time I shaped my own story." "Yeah…" Sora agreed, "You deserve it, Auron, after everything you've been through." "Sorry, but we saw a lot of your past through that statue." Asuna explained, "I hope you make your story a lot brighter."

Auron smirked at the group. "Hmph! I suppose I should thank you." he guessed. "Not at all." Sora answered. "Fine." Auron said quickly as he turned his back on them, causing the group to relapse. "Well, you can thank us a little…" Kirito suggested, "It's your choice." "You should say what you mean." Auron told them. He paused, turning his head back at them. He then turned his whole body to them.

"I guess I could spare a few words." he said to them. He paused, then he said, "Thanks for meddling." Everybody slumped over again, except Kirito, who was amused. "Hey, what's that mean?" Sora demanded. Auron walked away from the group, but not before he dropped something on the floor before disappearing behind the doors to the caves. Sora walked over to pick it up. It was another Keyblade Keychain, with the token being a jug of sake. "That's the Guardian Soul." Yui explained, "It has great strength." "Take it, Sora." Kirito suggested, "I think he left it for you specifically." Sora nodded in agreement, and he switched his main Keyblade around for it, and it was long, red, with an ogre-like face on the hilt guard.

The team walked up the steps to the world above. It was nighttime, and the Olympus Coliseum was still in ruins. Hercules and Meg stood there, hugging each other before they noticed Sora, Kirito and the others coming up to meet them. "Thanks again, guys!" Hercules thanked them, "You're the best." "Excuse us for meddling…" moaned Donald, still ticked off from what Auron said to them. "Aw…sounds like somebody's feathers are a little ruffled." said Meg, leaning down to eye Donald, then stood up again, "I'm kidding. Thank you, Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy, Yui."

"So where are you guys headed next?" Hercules asked. Sora was about to say something, but Kirito intruded. "Wherever someone needs a group of misfit heroes like us." he answered. _Misfit heroes?_ Asuna questioned. "You two lovebirds seem to be getting along just fine without us hanging around." Hercules and Meg looked to each other after hearing Sora, and parted away from each other quickly. Though that didn't stop them from looking back at each other lovingly.

"Yeah, we gotta go." Donald squawked. "You're right about that." Yui agreed. "Uh-huh, before we start meddlin'." Goofy said amusingly. "Right." Sora agreed. "Hey, Herc. Can you find a good place to keep this safe?" Kirito asked, picking up the trophy he carried up from below, "I think it's better off here." "Sure." Hercules answered, taking the trophy from him, "I'll keep it safe for you. And how about next time we face off against each other?" "It's a deal." Kirito replied with a smirk.

"Are you turkeys trying to put me out of a job?" asked an annoyed Phil, walking up to them, "If you keep acing every challenge, Champ, who am I gonna train?" "Aw, you can't abandon me now, Phil!" Hercules responded, "I gotta be at the top of my game in case Hades shows up again."

"Hey, are we true heroes yet?" Donald asked Phil abruptly. "Yeah! C'mon, Phil, how 'bout it?" Sora asked longingly, leaning down next to Donald. _You gotta be kidding me._ Kirito thought, rolling his eyes at the two. "Lemme see now…" Phil started, observing them, "Well, you're not wise enough… Not quite…seasoned enough…" "Okay, okay, we get the hint!" Sora moaned, standing up again.

"Look, kid, it's not my call!" Phil said apologetically. "Aw, phooey." Donald groaned. "Course if it was, you'd have no problem." Phil continued, "I'd make you all heroes, in a heartbeat!" Donald and Sora looked to each other excitedly, then back at Phil. "Really?" Sora asked happily. "Say it again!" demanded Donald. "On second thought, if those are your 'hero' faces, you still got a lotta work to do." Phil replied, walking away. "Hey, what do you mean?" Donald asked, running up to Phil. "Go away!" shooed Phil, and he raced off, with Donald chasing after him. "Phil!" shouted Sora, following in pursuit. "Leave me alone!" whined Phil. Kirito, Asuna, Yui and Goofy all looked to each other, and bursted out laughing at the comedic moment.

Just then, Meg looked up into the sky, and pointed something out. "See that?" she asked Hercules, and they both looked up. "Well, whaddaya know…" Hercules stated, looking up in the sky. Asuna, Kirito, Goofy and Yui looked at where they were staring at, and gasped in amazement. Sora and Donald stopped chasing Phil and looked up. Phil skidded to a halt and looked up, his eyes bugging in surprise, then he turned around and started crying.

Up in the sky, stars started to swirl around, and six images were formed from the stars; Sora, Kirito, Asuna, Donald, Goofy and Yui. It was truly a gift from the gods. "Now that's something you don't see everyday." Kirito smirked, looking at his own constellation. "Since when do you actually see something like this at all?" Asuna questioned Kirito, who shrugged in response. The team paused to look up at the stars for a while, then Sora said, "Let's get moving." They all nodded in agreement, and they walked away from the other's eyesight before teleporting back to the Gummi ship.

When they got on board, they all collapsed to their own seats. "That was one crazy ordeal." Sora sighed, leaning his back on the chair. "Where to next?" Donald asked Yui as she flew over to the computer. Before she had time to start typing, Chip and Dale came on the screen. "Hey guys!" Chip cried, "I'm so glad you made it back!" "Why? Is there something wrong?" Kirito asked. "We don't know." Dale answered, "We just detected a large fluctuation of some kind, and we found its' location." "What kind of fluctuation?" Sora asked, leaning in to look at them. "It seems like it's a new world of some kind!" Chip replied. "Here, take a look." said Dale.

The screen changed to reveal a new planet, or rather, something else. Kirito, Asuna and Yui all gasped. "You gotta be kidding me!" Kirito said in shock. "This…this is impossible!" Asuna stammered fearfully. "There's no way…" said Yui, both shocked and amazed. Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at the others, confused. There was no doubt what that world was to the trio. The large, stone and steel structure. The look of the entire thing. The floating castle in the sky, now in space.

It was Aincrad.

**Duh-duh-duuuuuuh! A cliffhanger for everyone there. How in the world...I mean dimension did Aincrad come to Sora's dimension? What will happen to all of the heroes in this world? Oh man, this part is all ad-lib. No story to follow from Kingdom Hearts II. It's all me, so I need to really put my imagination into overdrive here! Can't wait to see what develops. I already figured out who's gonna be there, and what the final conclusion will be. What is it? I ain't telling. Wait for the next episode!**

**By the way, I've tallied up the poll I had before, and the top three are now added to my roster of worlds to make. Here are the following that are in:**

**Final Fantasy World (Like Traverse Town or Hollow Bastion)**

**One Piece**

**Suite Pretty Cure**

**Sonic X**

**Legend of Zelda**

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon**

**Those are the six so far. However, I'm doing another poll. I removed the three winners, and replaced them with three more. They might surprise you. Some might be waiting for this certain anime or video game to pop up, others might think of it as strange. Any way, it's a complete remake of the previous poll, so please vote for your favorite three! I'll wait until I have at least fifty individual voters, which I did not the last time. Please Vote!**

**Leave a comment and wait for the next update! Thanks!**


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